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 The probe flew within 21,564 miles (34,675 kilometers) of the hellish planet, taking the first close measurements of Venus at the time. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026 As a result, almost every local government would face hellish decisions — weighing cuts to emergency services like police and fire against libraries, recreational programs and senior centers. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026 But as the episode closes out on another flash-forward to Joe’s captivity, we’re reminded that the plan of escape from this hellish timeline only throws her deeper into its clutches. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026 Fortunately, Des Moines resident Sydney Marshall shared some non-hellish tips before the tournament began. — Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hellish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellish
  1. horrible
  2. awful
  3. dreadful
  4. hideous
  5. sickening
Adjective
  • Despite the identically horrible records, these teams are in different places.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In all, the Dodgers drowned out that horrible tomahawk chop with some mighty hacks of their own, winning 3-1 while finally displaying some of the desperation that had been missing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • When Moore left the game after an awful hit from a USC linebacker, Raiola stepped up and looked even better.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • But coming off the back of that, there was all of this legislation that was pretty awful and generally, there were a lot of homophobic attitudes, still quite extreme, even as late as the 1990s.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • The idea of my dad’s enduring intense treatments and sickening side effects for the rest of his life was dreadful.
    — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • As a filmed version of John Steinbeck‘s classic novel, however, Kazan’s East of Eden borders on dreadful.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of dreadful
Adjective
  • Alabama has been busily demonstrating that the reverse is true, following a string of hideous botched lethal injection executions with a series of no less gruesome executions with nitrogen suffocation.
    — Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture.
    — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • Hersh was held hostage for 328 sickening, agonizing, and starving days until his captors executed him with five other young and luminous people in a tunnel underneath Gaza.
    — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The idea of my dad’s enduring intense treatments and sickening side effects for the rest of his life was dreadful.
    — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of sickening

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 14 Oct. 2026.

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