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

It’s been a hell of a run for INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who took over a football club sixth in the Premier League and have currently rooted them in 15th. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 30 May 2025

Oz’s mother, Francis Cobb, is partly inspired by my late Grandmother Ofelia – a resilient, stubborn, single mother who came to the United States with little money, but a hell of a lot of ambition. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 May 2025

But seeing that ship in space today was a hell of a moment for us, so congratulations to every single person who put time, effort, sweat, anything, into that rocket. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 May 2025

Phillips has been on a hell of a run lately, with four consecutive years of 100% sell-through rates at its watch auctions. —Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 15 May 2025

Rhymes for hell of a

• brava