hellish

adjective

hell·​ish ˈhe-lish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
: of, resembling, or befitting hell
broadly : terrible
hellishly adverb
hellishness noun

Examples of hellish in a Sentence

We've been having hellish weather lately. The battlefield was a hellish scene of death and destruction.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This catastrophe, like some hellish game of whack-a-mole, hit dangerously, and literally, close to home. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2025 What could possibly motivate someone in these hellish circumstances to keep digging, night after night, hoping against hope? Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2025 Another expression emerged from everyday objects, which inspired Lynch to deform the mundane into a hellish din. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2025 In this hellish landscape, ‘standing’ is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us. Ashley Hume, Fox News, 12 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for hellish 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hellish was circa 1530

Dictionary Entries Near hellish

Cite this Entry

“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hellish. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

hellish

adjective
hell·​ish ˈhel-ish How to pronounce hellish (audio)
: of, resembling, or suitable to hell : infernal
hellishly adverb
hellishness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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