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

Boxing makes for a hell of a cinematic watch, quick and easy to follow, winners obvious, losers clear, plenty of blood to spill, and Michôd doesn’t get fussy with his fight scenes. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025

Between that and Brother Dude’s quest, this is shaping up to be one hell of a finale. —Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

To carry this into the next generation and to truly create a legacy, that puts one hell of a burden on my shoulders to keep this family farm alive. —Dory Jackson, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025

The book, however, has a philosophical resonance that the film tries very hard to replicate but can’t, culminating in a long discussion with a priest (Swann Arlaud) that makes the ending seem a hell of a long time coming. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for hell of a

• brava