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

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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 His hellacious brand of defense is a nightmare for opposing benches in particular. — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 18 May 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
  • Broadly, the rule of thumb is to drink it during periods of intense competition (to allow for muscle recovery) while avoiding it during periods of training (to promote muscle development).
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Expect Missouri to come out sharper and fired up, as both teams will be for this intense rivalry.
    — PJ Green September 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Saylor Hayes, 5, who was the subject of an intensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies, was found in South Carolina on Sunday.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Authorities point to the Golden State’s intensive regulatory environment as a factor.
    — Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • Eric Loucks, the director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown, pointed out that a person can have a challenging experience during meditation and still find their overall meditation practice to be beneficial.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For something more hands-on, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville has a challenging kart circuit where karts can reach 50 mph or more.
    — Chris Teague, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns BNSF, and the railroad is a fierce critic of Vena’s takeover bid for Norfolk Southern.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Aaron Donald, one of the fiercest pass rushers in NFL history, is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Rams in hopes of winning another Super Bowl title.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of fierce
Adjective
  • Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Giamatti makes Jerry ferocious but not monstruous, a man who certainly likes barking orders at various underlings but loves making good theater even more.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Up to this point, Ghostface victims have been stabbed with Buck 120 hunting knives, crushed by garage doors, shot, electrocuted, and thrown off rooftops in ferocious, balls-to-the-wall Scream fashion.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • Seager's team is providing the AFN, along with their ongoing, rigorous science preparation.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 2022 Nature Biotechnology review urged rigorous clinical testing, and later reviews continued to flag reliability and standardization issues.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rigorous

Browse Nearby Words

hell
hellacious
hell-bent
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Cite this Entry

“Hellacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellacious. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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