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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Recent Examples of hellish
The younger, David Fagen of Tampa, was a nineteen-year-old phosphate miner who worked hellish ten-hour shifts for one dollar a day.
—
Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
There’s also an alien Sequid army slowly forming, Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) is secretly keeping Conquest incarcerated, the battle-hungry Battle Beast is alive and the demonic detective Damien Darkblood is summoning a hellish monster to fight Invincible.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Paul Greengrass’s intense wildfire thriller presents the shocking, most true tale of a school-bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) who winds up having to drive a group of elementary-schoolers through the hellish flames of the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in California history.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
While Borderland depicts a different reality, Hellbound turns the real world into a hellish realm.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellish
Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
There’s also an alien Sequid army slowly forming, Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) is secretly keeping Conquest incarcerated, the battle-hungry Battle Beast is alive and the demonic detective Damien Darkblood is summoning a hellish monster to fight Invincible.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Paul Greengrass’s intense wildfire thriller presents the shocking, most true tale of a school-bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) who winds up having to drive a group of elementary-schoolers through the hellish flames of the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in California history.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
While Borderland depicts a different reality, Hellbound turns the real world into a hellish realm.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellish
Adjective
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The New York native collected Golden Globe and Spirit awards for her performance as the title character, an aging Czechoslovakian actress forced to take a stand-in job in a horrible off-Broadway play, in Anna.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
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Gano opening up about this comes on a horrible day for the football world after Dallas Cowboys second-year linebacker Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide at the age of 24.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Pelicans have gotten off to an awful start, boasting an NBA-worst 0-6 record.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Humans can be awful, is one answer.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The initial symptoms began in early 2024, when Farrington, 45, started to experience dreadful night sweats.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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That’s a grim prospect—but then, in Venezuela, yesterday’s grimmest prospects become tomorrow’s headlines with dreadful regularity.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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When her rival, Poot’s Thea, arrives underdressed, Hedda forces her into a hideous frock with fussy bows and an ungainly skirt.—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
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Here, see the real-life The Twits cast side-by-side with their hilariously hideous animated counterparts.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Up north, hundreds of sea lions have been found on beaches in recent months suffering from a bacterial condition that is sickening and killing younger sea lions by attacking their kidneys, said John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles in San Pedro.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
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Winter is coming, and no amount of Narcan can solve this sickening public health crisis.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Likewise, using the military to patrol the border is not a shocking mission.—
Peter D. Feaver,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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The numbers game was too great before Rhea Ripley made her shocking return from an injury.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellish. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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