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
From Allan to Aliens, 25 Extremely 2023 Halloween Costumes
Turn a hellish year into the perfect spooky season look.
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Evelyn Bauer, Them, 4 Sep. 2024
But being in your early thirties and playing yourself as a junior high school student and then surrounding yourself with age-appropriate actors who are actually going through that hellish rite of passage brings a whole new layer of cringe and humor.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Meanwhile, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) transforms into the Green Goblin and sets about making his former best friend’s life generally hellish.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024
The success of the Manhattan Project made a truly hellish set of futures possible for our species, up to and including our extinction.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hellish 
Evelyn Bauer, Them, 4 Sep. 2024
But being in your early thirties and playing yourself as a junior high school student and then surrounding yourself with age-appropriate actors who are actually going through that hellish rite of passage brings a whole new layer of cringe and humor.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Meanwhile, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) transforms into the Green Goblin and sets about making his former best friend’s life generally hellish.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024
The success of the Manhattan Project made a truly hellish set of futures possible for our species, up to and including our extinction.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hellish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellish
Adjective
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The discourse will take the horrible transition from the coronation of 2024 to the unfair new expectations of 2025.Brody Miller, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
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Much like in that previous doc, this is a record of some of the most turbulent, heart-wrenching, and anxiety-inducing years in the country’s history, specifically the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro and his horrible administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Her awful journey is a raging scream against the patriarchy and a biting critique of how women are viewed, especially by other women.The Week US, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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But Pierce has been tasked with managing an awful quarterback situation, which is a huge reason why the Raiders have lost so many games.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The totality of the Chicago sports experience was just so dreadful.Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
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On Sunday afternoon, the Packers fell to a dreadful 0-5 in those contests.Rob Reischel, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Both the Hatter and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) get boilerplate tragic origins in a cluttered plot that’s drowned out by the hideous, oppressive visual effects.Josh Bell, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
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No abstract theory regardless of how sincerely held should impede or distract from that hideous, concrete real-world reality.Caroline Frost, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Los Angeles County is suing the owner of Chiquita Canyon Landfill for failing to control a high-temperature chemical reaction that is cooking garbage and sickening nearby residents.Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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And to sit up there, man, and to be just blatantly hypocritical is funny and sickening at the same time.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The most shocking moment comes when Contessa accuses Dr. Damon of infidelity and fathering mixed-race children—a claim the other ladies quickly shut down.Shelby Stewart, Essence, 23 Dec. 2024
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Trenchant talks about trust, love and parental obligation were interpolated with shocking surprises.Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near hellish
Cite this Entry
“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellish. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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