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.
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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.
The death row inmate has been caught in a hellish middle ground.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
"We had a hellish night on Friday," said one resident in the Talladje area near the airbase.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Around her stood people in T-shirts with the same illustration featured on the church’s bulletin that week: a phoenix representing Boyle Heights rising from the flames of a hellish warehouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
A woman whose dead father was discovered at an undertaker's three months after his funeral says her hellish ordeal has "crucified" her.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
I lie facedown on her bed, pillowing my head on my arms, completely drained in the aftermath of a hellish morning.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
