hellhole
Americannoun
-
a place totally lacking in comfort, cleanliness, order, etc.
-
a place or establishment noted for its illegal or immoral practices.
noun
Etymology
Origin of hellhole
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at hell, hole
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 consistent message emerged: Los Angeles was not a beautiful, vibrant metropolis with serious problems, but a hellhole verging on being lost for good.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
And no, San Francisco isn’t the hellhole that some influencers and cable-TV pontificators describe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
One can only imagine what's happening to them in that dystopian hellhole of a prison.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2025
“The scale and speed of the unfolding humanitarian crisis is bone-chilling. Gaza is fast becoming a hellhole and is on the brink of collapse,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner general.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
But you lose your head in this crazy hellhole, you do, and different rules apply.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
