hellion

[hel-yuhn]

noun

Informal.

1. a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person.

hellion

/ ˈhɛljən /

noun

1. Also called: heller. informal,  a rough or rowdy person, esp a child; troublemaker

Word History and Origins

Origin of hellion¹

1835–45, hell + -ion, as in scullion, rapscallion

Word History and Origins

Origin of hellion¹

C19: probably from dialect hallion rogue, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

In a 2009 interview with the Guardian, he described his younger self as “a total hellion” and said he was “very dysfunctional at school.”

From Los Angeles Times

Like a patient dad, McCarthy is trying to calm the little hellions, but it is unclear what he can do to make them happy.

From Seattle Times

As we’re about to learn, David is more than a heel, he’s a hellion, and what begins as the story of a stalking skids rapidly into depravity and humiliation.

From New York Times

“There could have been no more perfect beginning to L.Q. Jones’s career in the movies. The word that best sums up his overriding screen persona is hellion.”

From New York Times

“They literally raised three girls to be absolute hellions. And we didn’t know and I literally didn’t know that wasn’t possible.”

From New York Times