hellacious

adjective

ˌhe-ˈlā-shəs How to pronounce hellacious (audio)
Definition of hellaciousnext
1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect the hellacious heat was more than we could bear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort the pioneers survived a particularly hellacious river crossing with their covered wagon barely in one piece

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hellacious This was a hellacious heavyweight matchup that lived up to the hype. — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026 The skiers were in a valley below Perry Peak, but the two survivors have described battling through hellacious conditions in the hour before the avalanche. — Andrew Graham april 2, Sacbee.com, 2 Apr. 2026 But the tour was a hellacious time for Bachman. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026 Even against a hellacious Houston defense, the Patriots’ shortest path to victory is to ask Maye to carry them yet again. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hellacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellacious
  1. intense
  2. difficult
  3. intensive
  4. challenging
  5. fierce
  6. tough
  7. ferocious
  8. rigorous
Adjective
  • During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026
  • Treating fear and anxiety in dogs doesn’t always require a bigger yard or a more intense exercise routine.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Her protectiveness of the island stretches back years, in part because Nantucket saved her, in a way, during a difficult time in her life.
    — Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • In the book, Hollis asks Gigi to stay after a difficult conversation about the affair.
    — Max Gao, Variety, 11 July 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • But that is labor intensive, and when a fire burns thousands of acres, the time and cost involved can be too high.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Built for expansion Aurora was used to perform the computationally intensive quantum chemistry simulations integrated into ChemGraph, while the ALCF Inference Service provided access to open-weight language models hosted on Argonne systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • These renovations have made Bliss Matcha & Beyond’s move less challenging, according to Gorski.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2026
  • Ahead of a challenging midterm election, Republicans have seized an opportunity to castigate their opponents as extremists after democratic socialists won recent Democratic congressional primaries in New York and Colorado.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Its young people are increasingly educated and ambitious but many are frustrated over fierce competition for limited jobs.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • The Pride and Angel City have established a fierce rivalry in their short history.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
Definition of fierce
Adjective
  • The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Patrick Cantlay made a little noise in an otherwise quiet year for the American with five birdies in 10 holes and then a collection of tough par saves at the end that felt just as valuable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Known for his command of ferocious demon-quelling deities, Zhenwu remains a popular deity in Daoist exorcist rituals in places such as Taiwan.
    — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • That’s because a parasite called Cyclospora, which can contaminate raw produce and causes ferocious and long-lasting bouts of diarrheal illness, is making people sick across several states.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • Any new toll roads would have to make practical sense and survive rigorous feasibility studies.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026
  • Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.
    — Liz Knueven, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of rigorous

Browse Nearby Words

hell
hellacious
hell-bent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hellacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellacious. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All