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
But there are also surreal, haunting touches – a pair of boots nailed to a tree; a dead man's return; a hellish horizon in flames – that show the past's grip on the imagination.
—
David Morgan, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
That’s where development became kind of a hellish thing for me and Ryan.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
The hellish scenes in Tehran were emblematic of the direct link between this war, energy infrastructure and global markets.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
The news site Deadspin took clips of different anchors intoning the same words and laid them over one another to make a hellish cacophony.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hellish
David Morgan, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
That’s where development became kind of a hellish thing for me and Ryan.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
The hellish scenes in Tehran were emblematic of the direct link between this war, energy infrastructure and global markets.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
The news site Deadspin took clips of different anchors intoning the same words and laid them over one another to make a hellish cacophony.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hellish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellish
Adjective
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
24 Apr. 2026
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There’s enough cop shows, stories about how horrible the world is, enough plot lines that are similar to each other.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Their banter is empty because outside the season’s premiere, The Boys hasn’t actually shown us this awful America, and how everyone within it, including celebrities, are at risk.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
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This state has had some awful governors, but none in modern times ever attempted anything so repugnant as exposing more children to deadly diseases, as DeSantis has.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Or as dreadful as any movie featuring screen divinity Lee Grant and Brenda Vaccaro can be.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Mets endured a dreadful 12-game losing streak that sent them to the bottom of division standing — right alongside the Phillies.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The two hideous games between the Lakers and Rockets will likely come to mind relatively quickly, but the trend has been greater than just one series.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Such is a snarky line that Emily Blunt delivers as Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada, a character who would rather faint than wear something hideous.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But a radioactive cloud was wafting across Europe, setting off alarms in a Swedish laboratory nearly seven hundred miles away and slowly sickening tens of thousands of people.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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That flight had twice aborted takeoff and declared an emergency due to an odor onboard that was sickening flight attendants.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In the furthest part of space lies Dante 01, a detention facility that houses criminals who have committed the most shocking crimes imaginable.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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Their latest documentary series looks set to continue that streak, exploring a shocking real case of love, betrayal, and justice.—
Fleurine Tideman,
Glamour,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellish. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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