hellish

adjective

hell·​ish ˈhe-lish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
: of, resembling, or befitting hell
broadly : terrible
hellishly adverb
hellishness noun

Examples of hellish in a Sentence

We've been having hellish weather lately. The battlefield was a hellish scene of death and destruction.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Therefore, a compass on the hellish planet would be as useless as one on the Moon. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2025 There's still 73 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in those same hellish tunnels. Destinee Adams, NPR, 17 Feb. 2025 Ku-DiPietro passed with a lowly 67.7% accuracy, with that figure dropping further to a hellish 66.6% in the attacking half and 62.6% in the final third. Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025 Not one dollar of capital can be raised while Gaza is a hellish war zone. David Friedman, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hellish

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hellish was circa 1530

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Cite this Entry

“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hellish. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

hellish

adjective
hell·​ish ˈhel-ish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
: of, resembling, or suitable to hell : infernal
hellishly adverb
hellishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hellish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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