hell of a
idiom
informal + somewhat impolite
1
—used to make a statement more forceful
It was one hell of a good fight.
He is one hell of a nice guy.
2
: very good
She's a hell of a player.
3
: very bad or difficult
We've been having a hell of a time trying to finish on schedule.
This is a hell of a mess we're in.
Examples of hell of a in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Considering how often pop culture influences baby names, this is one hell of a coincidence.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025
Neon and Jafar are running a hell of a campaign.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
This is a hell of a test for a young quarterback coming back from an extended absence, and Gibbs is surely frothing at the mouth.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
All of that’s to say that these latest developments in the awards season race don’t mean a hell of a lot.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell of a
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025
Neon and Jafar are running a hell of a campaign.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
This is a hell of a test for a young quarterback coming back from an extended absence, and Gibbs is surely frothing at the mouth.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
All of that’s to say that these latest developments in the awards season race don’t mean a hell of a lot.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell of a
Cite this Entry
“Hell of a.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hell%20of%20a. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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