hellish

adjective

hell·​ish ˈhe-lish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
Synonyms of hellishnext
: 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.
Without it, the film would be even more hellish. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2026 But that doesn’t make watching Her Private Hell any less hellish. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026 Fueled by fentanyl and a new, psychosis-inducing form of methamphetamine, street homelessness is no longer confined to the 50 hellish blocks of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. Meghan Daum, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 One tweet features an AI cover of a fake Slayr album called BURGERMAN that imagines him as a half-burger, half-human hybrid engulfed in a hellish flood of grease and cheese splatter. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026 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 21 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

hellish

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

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