hellacious

adjective

hel·​la·​cious ˌhe-ˈlā-shəs 

1

: exceptionally powerful or violent

2

: remarkably good

3

: extremely difficult

4

: extraordinarily large

hellaciously adverb

Synonyms

• acute
• almighty
• blistering
• deep
• dreadful
• excruciating
• explosive
• exquisite
• fearful
• fearsome
• ferocious
• fierce
• frightful
• furious
• ghastly
• hard
• heavy
• heavy-duty
• intense
• intensive
• keen
• profound
• terrible
• vehement
• vicious
• violent

Examples of hellacious in a Sentence

Traffic is hellacious this time of day.

the hellacious heat was more than we could bear

Recent Examples on the Web

That run of bonuses includes a Fight of the Night bonus for his part in a hellacious scrap with David Onama in August 2022. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

There were no cage dives or hellacious crashes into the announcer's table. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024

Gradishar was the spine and soul of coordinator Joe Collier’s hellacious 3-4 defense, a wild bunch that dragged the Broncos, kicking and screaming, out of NFL obscurity in 1977 and into the franchise’s first Super Bowl. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 30 July 2024

Relatable to anyone who has ever attended a wedding (or experienced hellacious food poisoning), consider streaming Bridesmaids. —James Mercadante, Ilana Gordon, Stephanie Kaloi, EW.com, 25 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

hell + -acious (as in audacious)

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1