hellish

[ hel-ish ]
See synonyms for hellish on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, like, or suitable to hell; infernal; vile; horrible: It was a hellish war.

  2. miserable; abominable; execrable: We had a hellish time getting through traffic.

  1. devilishly bad: The child's behavior was hellish most of the day.

Origin of hellish

1
First recorded in 1520–30; hell + -ish1

Other words from hellish

  • hell·ish·ly, adverb
  • hell·ish·ness, noun

Words Nearby hellish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hellish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hellish

hellish

/ (ˈhɛlɪʃ) /


adjective
  1. of or resembling hell

  2. wicked; cruel

  1. informal very difficult or unpleasant

adverb
  1. British informal (intensifier): a hellish good idea

Derived forms of hellish

  • hellishly, adverb
  • hellishness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012