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 Others have been wounded, detained by military forces or stuck at sea in hellish conditions. — Joanne Stocker, CBS News, 16 June 2026 Fueled by fentanyl and a new, psychosis-inducing form of methamphetamine, street homelessness is no longer confined to the 50 hellish blocks of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. — Meghan Daum, The Atlantic, 15 May 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 One tweet features an AI cover of a fake Slayr album called BURGERMAN that imagines him as a half-burger, half-human hybrid engulfed in a hellish flood of grease and cheese splatter. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 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
  • And obviously, slavery was a terrible thing, and that was horrible.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • Horton, who married Rickman in 2012 in a private ceremony after more than 40 years together, also told the outlet that the diagnosis had been a horrible shock to them both.
    — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat after showing up late.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Sugar is at the forensic lab with the corpse of a man who looks an awful lot like Ji Moon but isn’t Ji Moon (courtesy of Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg).
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Just when a dreadful day was approaching a merciful end, the chants from the remaining crowd at Citi Field poked fun at the New York Mets’ mess in a way boos cannot match with ridicule.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 25 June 2026
  • Some of the best scenes happen near the end when Maddie’s dreadful, piece-of-work mom (played to the nines by Kristen Johnston) sallies her way in to create more family dysfunction in her wake.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
Definition of dreadful
Adjective
  • 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
  • Everyone's favorite hideous ogre and delusional donkey are finally reunited.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • But there are multiple Ebola strains, and those vaccines, treatments, and tests aren’t effective against the rarer strain, Bundibugyo, sickening people today.
    — Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026
  • Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.
    — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • Cape Verde began this run by making a statement, producing a shocking 0-0 draw against soccer powerhouse Spain on June 15 in its first-ever World Cup match.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
  • The Packers then blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round against Chicago, gave up 25 fourth quarter points and eventually suffered a shocking 31-27 loss to the arch-rival Bears.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 4 July 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 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of hellish for Spanish Speakers

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