1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the hellacious heat was more than we could bear
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
the pioneers survived a particularly hellacious river crossing with their covered wagon barely in one piece
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hellacious
The skiers were in a valley below Perry Peak, but the two survivors have described battling through hellacious conditions in the hour before the avalanche.
—
Andrew Graham
april 2, Sacbee.com, 2 Apr. 2026
But the tour was a hellacious time for Bachman.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid dished out three assists and a hellacious hit on Czechia forward Lukas Sedlec on his first shift early in the first period that set the tone for a fast paced, hard hitting and unselfish display of often breathtaking hockey.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 13 Feb. 2026
Even against a hellacious Houston defense, the Patriots’ shortest path to victory is to ask Maye to carry them yet again.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hellacious
Andrew Graham
april 2, Sacbee.com, 2 Apr. 2026
But the tour was a hellacious time for Bachman.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid dished out three assists and a hellacious hit on Czechia forward Lukas Sedlec on his first shift early in the first period that set the tone for a fast paced, hard hitting and unselfish display of often breathtaking hockey.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 13 Feb. 2026
Even against a hellacious Houston defense, the Patriots’ shortest path to victory is to ask Maye to carry them yet again.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hellacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellacious
Adjective
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Thanks to more than 200 years of intense and virtuoso scientific work, what were once valid or at least plausible concerns and objections to vaccines have been overcome.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Whether Tuchel will, in fact, be able to produce a more intense high-pressing style this summer, given the climate and the dense schedule, is another matter.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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The verdict was delivered amid difficult personal circumstances for Mette-Marit, Hoiby’s mother, who needs a lung transplant for pulmonary fibrosis.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
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Otherwise, those prospects start becoming large contracts that stand more difficult to move or aggregate.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
These data centers would leverage the cold temperatures of space to remove the need for energy-intensive cooling systems on Earth.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
-
After an intensive chemical treatment program, Drews said, the area now has 70 percent less of the invasive vine.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Inmates challenging execution methods must suggest an alternative method.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Cognitive skills generally improve with deliberate, focused and progressively more challenging training.—
Supreet Kaur,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Publishers must also navigate changing consumer behavior, rising shipping costs and a fierce attention economy.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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The backlash was so fierce, Anthropic quickly made adjustments to the policy, as Wired reported on Wednesday, highlighting just how carefully the company is treading.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
With the when, where and who will play whom at the 2026 World Cup all locked in, how do the groups rank from the easiest to the toughest?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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Opening a restaurant in downtown Boise is a tough racket.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
It’s embedded in the lore of the city — the breakout pass, the bounding leap, the midair double clutch, the ferocious snarl.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
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The outcome caps one of California’s most ferocious congressional primaries, a contest that reflected the broader struggle between the Democratic Party’s moderate and progressive wings.—
Mathew Miranda
June 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Here was an original country-house murder plot, constructed with enormous care and rigorous ingenuity.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has officially begun its first utility-grade battery tests at the new Grid Storage Launchpad (GSL), initiating a rigorous one-year testing regime.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hellacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellacious. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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