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 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
  • Research shows warming temperatures from burning coal, oil and gas are making fires more frequent and intense.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026
  • After an intense tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, in which matches have been played in extreme heat and sometimes at altitude, freshness come Sunday could certainly be crucial.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 14 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
  • On top of these costs, increasingly ferocious climate disasters cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
    — Liat Olenick, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026
  • Now, researchers are concerned that more ecosystems will be disrupted as the apex predators with a ferocious appetite feast on a buffet of raccoons, opossums, bobcats, alligators and birds -- including prey bigger than themselves.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 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
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Cite this Entry

“Hellacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellacious. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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