hellion

American

[hel-yuhn] / ˈhɛl yən /

noun

Informal.

a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person.

hellion British

/ ˈhɛljən /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hellion

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A little hellion, according to her own description, she was not adopted even after her picture and profile were featured as a child needing a forever home in The Seattle Times.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 27, 2021

Among others, Kun encounters his great-grandfather as a motorcycle-riding young rebel, his own mother as a youthful hellion, and, most perplexing of all, his own sister Marai as an engaging “Marai from the future” teenager.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2018

So he agrees to take her, even though she is a hellion at the start.

From New York Times • Oct. 12, 2016

But clearly, the hellion he married wouldn’t allow that.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2015

The Triple Crown winner was a hellion, repeatedly barging through the gate and dragging the assistant starter with him.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023