hellish

adjective

hell·​ish ˈhe-lish 

: 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

Even with the hellish conditions bearing down around them, the engineers were able to find moments of levity. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026

In the new film, the Necronomicon — aka the Book of the Dead — creates a hellish nightmare for a widow, Alice (Souheila Yacoub), and her in-laws following the tragic death of Alice’s husband, Will (George Pullar). — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

It’s been a hellish week across South Florida. — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026

Others have been wounded, detained by military forces or stuck at sea in hellish conditions. — Joanne Stocker, CBS News, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hellish

• relish
• embellish

Kids Definition

hellish

adjective

hell·​ish ˈhel-ish 

: of, resembling, or suitable to hell : infernal

hellishly adverb

hellishness noun