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.
Shows such as Stranger Things and Buffy the Vampire Slayer settled on the trope of a hellish world reachable only through science-fiction portals. K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025 Precisely who Trump wants to punish appears secondary to his delight in releasing precisely those hellish dogs. Rachel Hadas, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025 Amer, who created the series with Ramy auteur Ramy Youssef, spends enough time in this hellish place to make his point about its pointless cruelty but moves on before the new season of Mo becomes an unmitigated downer. Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025 This catastrophe, like some hellish game of whack-a-mole, hit dangerously, and literally, close to home. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 22 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 16 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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