hellish
Americanadjective
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of, like, or suitable to hell; infernal; vile; horrible.
It was a hellish war.
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miserable; abominable; execrable.
We had a hellish time getting through traffic.
-
devilishly bad.
The child's behavior was hellish most of the day.
adjective
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of or resembling hell
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wicked; cruel
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informal very difficult or unpleasant
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hellish
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.
With a massive shock of red hair, bone-white makeup and oversized brow, Curry looked like a hellish Bozo the Clown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"Ferns responded to and delivered the fuel that fanned the flames, triggering repeated massive wildfires. A truly hellish world."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
"It must have been hellish in the forest at the time."
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
As a band played “The Blue Danube,” she blocked out her hellish surroundings and imagined herself on stage in Budapest, dancing to Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
The hellish whistle could be heard gradually disappearing in the distance.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
