helluva
Americanadjective
adverb
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(intensifier)
a helluva difficult job
he's a helluva guy
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(intensifier)
it's helluva tough out here
Etymology
Origin of helluva
First recorded in 1915–20; a phonetic spelling representation of hell of a in continuous rapid speech
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.
I’m not going to lie: That’s a helluva lot of cash.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
A helluva lot of the duties on China—vanquished.
From Slate ● Feb. 20, 2026
“You make a helluva lot more money with a weaker dollar,” the president said in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
But the fact that the Warner Bros. sequel is actually a romance-driven jukebox movie-musical — complete with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn — is a helluva choice, one that I have to see to believe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
It was a helluva lot easier getting out of the house than it was getting in, for some reason.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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.
