hellacious

adjective

hel·​la·​cious ˌhe-ˈlā-shəs 

1

: exceptionally powerful or violent

hellacious winds

2

: remarkably good

has a hellacious curve ball

3

: extremely difficult

a hellacious climb

4

: extraordinarily large

a hellacious traffic jam

hellaciously adverb

Synonyms of hellacious

• intense
• intensive
• fierce
• ferocious
• terrible
• deep
• furious
• heavy

Examples of hellacious in a Sentence

Traffic is hellacious this time of day.

the hellacious heat was more than we could bear

Recent Examples on the Web

The Hel Peninsula is one of Poland's busiest summer destinations, and getting there can be hellacious in peak vacation traffic. —Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 1 June 2026

But the process of buying and selling homes at the same time seems hopelessly last-century – not to mention especially hellacious among all the difficult consumer experiences out there. —Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 28 May 2026

His hellacious brand of defense is a nightmare for opposing benches in particular. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

This was a hellacious heavyweight matchup that lived up to the hype. —Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

hell + -acious (as in audacious)

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hellacious

• arenaceous
• argillaceous
• carbonaceous
• contumacious
• coriaceous
• efficacious
• farinaceous
• foliaceous
• membranaceous
• ochraceous
• olivaceous
• ostentatious