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
Bill Clinton’s attempts to overhaul health care in the 1990s doomed his fellow Democrats to a hellish 1994 midterm cycle.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2025
Still, the trailer alone reveals that the Weeknd encounters a crazed fan who puts him through some kind of hellish situation in a luxury hotel room.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 16 May 2025
Doom has always been steeped in the kind of hellish imagery society associated with badassery and counterculture in the Nineties.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025
What followed was a hellish few months of surgeries and treatment as Hayes battled a bone infection caused by the bite.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellish
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2025
Still, the trailer alone reveals that the Weeknd encounters a crazed fan who puts him through some kind of hellish situation in a luxury hotel room.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 16 May 2025
Doom has always been steeped in the kind of hellish imagery society associated with badassery and counterculture in the Nineties.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025
What followed was a hellish few months of surgeries and treatment as Hayes battled a bone infection caused by the bite.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellish
Adjective
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Maybe the news reports and images trigger your feelings around a horrible experience at a camp, a personal loss of a child, or even just a loss of feeling safe and in control of the world, said Hurlbert.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
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For many who were directly affected by the flood, these post-flood days have been like waking up from a horrible nightmare.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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This has been an awful process—a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
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However, the idea that Gunn was going to make an awful Superman movie does not match up with his history of comic book productions across Marvel and DC.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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England played a dreadful short corner in their loss to France.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
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But extra work doesn’t always have to be draining or dreadful.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Luthor combats Superman through a combination of science and technology — injecting nanobot GPS trackers into Superman’s bloodstream — using methods that recall the hideous Covid manipulation.—
Armond White,
National Review,
11 July 2025
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The dark edge in Bushnell’s writing reflects less a brave new world than a world that is the hideous extension of the old one.—
Alice Bolin
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Also sickening is Aja, transforming from cocoon to butterfly — unfortunately, Jasmine Masters will see her in court.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
4 July 2025
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The portal that allows the players to go from school to school is also sickening.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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In addition to all the shocking Prime Day finds on sale now, J.Crew Factory is stepping up and dropping prices.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
9 July 2025
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All those TikToks sharing the most important news of the week, or the Instagram influencers reacting to a shocking headline, or the YouTubers making video essays analyzing current events — all of these could not exist without the labor and specialized knowledge of journalists.—
Reia Li,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hellish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellish. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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