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.
Boston's hellish housing market could soon get even trickier to navigate. Steph Solis, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025 During the hellish month preceding his murder, the boy was also denied his prescription medications, jurors heard at the trial. Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2025 Markets were in dire need of some calm after a hellish month of tariff chaos that eroded trillions of dollars of value and pushed both the S&P and Nasdaq into official correction territory. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025 The previously steady couple experiences friction because of the resulting stress, but things take a more hellish turn when everyone discovers the house is haunted by a demon looking for a new host. Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hellish. Accessed 16 Apr. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on hellish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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