hellish

adjective

Definition of hellishnext
as in horrible
of, resembling, or befitting hell We've been having hellish weather lately. The battlefield was a hellish scene of death and destruction.

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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 hellish In the new film, the Necronomicon — aka the Book of the Dead — creates a hellish nightmare for a widow, Alice (Souheila Yacoub), and her in-laws following the tragic death of Alice’s husband, Will (George Pullar). — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 It’s been a hellish week across South Florida. — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026 Others have been wounded, detained by military forces or stuck at sea in hellish conditions. — Joanne Stocker, CBS News, 16 June 2026 In full widescreen dark hellish color palettes we are taken to the Celtic fringe of 1247 AD, where Sarnoski proceeds to destroy any previous cinematic incarnation of the legendary Robin Hood and smash it to bits. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hellish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellish
  1. horrible
  2. awful
  3. dreadful
  4. hideous
  5. sickening
  6. shocking
Adjective
  • Whatever cloud of innocence has hung over Jo’s life until this point is shattered, both parents struggling how to navigate the horrible experience from an emotional as well as a purely bureaucratic perspective.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • After years of seeing enough photos of fabulous wealth and horrible tragedy, these types of images cease to shock us.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The disease still makes lots of people feel awful for a week or two, foiling their summer vacations and forcing them to miss work and school.
    — Rob Stein, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Singing in the shower, gardening, baking, and writing poetry (yes, even awful poetry) are all good options.
    — Laura Bradley, HEALTH, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • With the event’s 25th anniversary coming into view, Disney will seek to put a spotlight on the courage and resilience of people directly affected by the event, as well as remembering many of its dreadful details.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Liberty came off a dreadful 2-20 Wubble season in 2020 in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of dreadful
Adjective
  • Illiteracy, and its centuries-long ongoing epidemic, is hideous.
    — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 21 July 2026
  • The ace endured a rocky start punctuated by a hideous 11-run blowup in Minnesota and has now been sidelined with a shoulder injury since April 26.
    — Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • Wildlife officials had found that many of these poisons worked their way through the food chain, sickening and killing owls, raptors, coyotes and mountain lions.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • More importantly, the China business, long a stalwart, started a sickening double-digit decline.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • Lindsay Hubbard, one of the stars of Bravo’s Summer House, was doing an on-camera interview for a different reality show when shocking news broke that two of her Summer House castmates had gotten together.
    — The Deadline Team, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Wells, 39, laid his gloves down in the Octagon after the shocking victory.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocking

Browse Nearby Words

hellions
hellish
hellishness
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Cite this Entry

“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellish. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of hellish for Spanish Speakers

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