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.
This was a test of endurance, against each other and against the hellish conditions in the ring. Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025 Change, even from his hellish situation, felt threatening. John Blake, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025 The stakes are high for exoplanets, too, where a small push in atmosphere, clouds, or volcanism could lock worlds into hellish states. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025 The Lost Bus takes us inside the hellish inferno of the 2018 Camp fire that decimated the town of Paradise in Northern California. Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 5 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 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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