1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the hellacious heat was more than we could bear
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hellacious
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
Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid dished out three assists and a hellacious hit on Czechia forward Lukas Sedlec on his first shift early in the first period that set the tone for a fast paced, hard hitting and unselfish display of often breathtaking hockey.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 13 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
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
Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid dished out three assists and a hellacious hit on Czechia forward Lukas Sedlec on his first shift early in the first period that set the tone for a fast paced, hard hitting and unselfish display of often breathtaking hockey.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 13 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
Adjective
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Being in the C-suite is a high-pressure job with long hours, board responsibilities, and intense scrutiny.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
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Within the hour, all firefighters were called off the roof and out of the building because of the danger posed by the intense flames and the ammonia leak.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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The verdict was delivered amid difficult personal circumstances for Mette-Marit, Hoiby’s mother, who needs a lung transplant for pulmonary fibrosis.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
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Otherwise, those prospects start becoming large contracts that stand more difficult to move or aggregate.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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They were released later with ankle monitors and placed under an intensive supervision program requiring frequent check-ins at an ICE office in Portland.—
Carol Rose Little,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
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According to the company, Samsung’s HBM4E delivers a stable pin speed of 14 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), with performance scalable up to 16Gbps to support increasingly intensive data processing requirements.—
Thomas Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The agreement calls for an immediate end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and sets out expectations for the next phase of talks, which will tackle more challenging issues, mainly the future of Iran's nuclear program.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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This creates a particularly challenging environment for those working in contributor welfare.—
Emma Pringle,
Deadline,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Publishers must also navigate changing consumer behavior, rising shipping costs and a fierce attention economy.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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The thing everyone, from the NCAA’s fiercest critics to its most loyal defenders, understood had to remain nonnegotiable.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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McIlroy bogeyed 18 to finish at one under, squarely in the hunt, considering the tough conditions limited scoring.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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Parker, a former Eagles assistant, has risen quickly through the NFL coaching ranks and now faces a tough task with a roster full of new faces and high expectations.—
Briana Aldridge,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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So playing characters who were so ferocious and bold and confident and determined and all that helped me profoundly in my personal life.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
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Your ferocious work ethic and absolutely unshakable moral fiber.—
Scott Bauer,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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Simplifi meets rigorous security certifications, such as SOC 2, which are part of a comprehensive external audit that assesses the security, confidentiality and privacy of a program’s data.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hellacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellacious. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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