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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hellacious
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
Playing a school driver who has to get a bunch of kids to safety during a hellacious, out-of-control California fire, McConaughey learned how to drive a bus, grinding gears and everything.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Having a baby is never an easy experience, but the sixth episode of Outlander: Blood of My Blood plunged poor Julia (Hermione Corfield) into a hellacious labor experience.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellacious
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
Playing a school driver who has to get a bunch of kids to safety during a hellacious, out-of-control California fire, McConaughey learned how to drive a bus, grinding gears and everything.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Having a baby is never an easy experience, but the sixth episode of Outlander: Blood of My Blood plunged poor Julia (Hermione Corfield) into a hellacious labor experience.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellacious
Adjective
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There is a brightness and its opposite, not darkness but another brightness, just as intense.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Paxton voters are more intense in their contempt for Cornyn than vice versa.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Building the program had proved difficult.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Sindcom 14-Piece Food Storage Containers Set The pantry is one of the most difficult places to organize thanks to boxes of cereal, pasta, baking ingredients, and more scattered about.—
Kelsey Fredricks,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
The intensive land use required to grow corn for ethanol has its own effects on water quality and fertilizer use as well, Runge says.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
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Upstairs, in the third-floor intensive-care unit, nurse Tammy Fritchey, a 27-year-veteran, places blankets and pillows over patients who are too sick to move, the ones on ventilators.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Essential in this most challenging of environments.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
-
That’s what will make the job challenging and difficult.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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Defending winner Ross Chastain is returning to compete against fierce contenders like Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
-
Lander, a former comptroller and mayoral candidate, was once a more vocal supporter of Israel and a fierce opponent of the boycott Israel movement, including during a previous contentious fight over Israel at the co-op in 2012.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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Each of those teams will be competing for playoff spots again, leaving the Raiders with no easy divisional wins and a tough out-of-division schedule.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The group did just enough against Sale and a tough Braves bullpen to avoid getting shut out for the third time in five games.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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The first wave of women’s-rights activists won suffrage for women, against ferocious and sometimes violent opposition.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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Featuring aching, ferocious performances from Emmy winners Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, Camp Miasma imagines the resurrection of a dormant slasher franchise.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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For decades, the legal profession has maintained strict boundaries around who can provide services in the form of licenses that require professionals to undergo significant schooling and rigorous testing.—
Robert Scott,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors.—
John Csiszar,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hellacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellacious. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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