hellish

adjective

hell·​ish ˈhe-lish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
: of, resembling, or befitting hell
broadly : terrible
hellishly adverb
hellishness noun

Examples of hellish in a Sentence

We've been having hellish weather lately. The battlefield was a hellish scene of death and destruction.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bill Clinton’s attempts to overhaul health care in the 1990s doomed his fellow Democrats to a hellish 1994 midterm cycle. Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2025 Still, the trailer alone reveals that the Weeknd encounters a crazed fan who puts him through some kind of hellish situation in a luxury hotel room. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 16 May 2025 Doom has always been steeped in the kind of hellish imagery society associated with badassery and counterculture in the Nineties. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025 What followed was a hellish few months of surgeries and treatment as Hayes battled a bone infection caused by the bite. Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hellish

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hellish was circa 1530

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Cite this Entry

“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hellish. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

hellish

adjective
hell·​ish ˈhel-ish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
: of, resembling, or suitable to hell : infernal
hellishly adverb
hellishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hellish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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