hell·ish

(hĕl′ĭsh)

adj.

1. Of, resembling, or worthy of hell; fiendish.

2. Highly unpleasant: hellish weather.

hell′ish·ly adv.

hell′ish·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hellish

(ˈhɛlɪʃ)

adj

1. (Theology) of or resembling hell

2. wicked; cruel

3. informal very difficult or unpleasant

adv

informal Brit (intensifier): a hellish good idea.

ˈhellishly adv

ˈhellishness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hell•ish

(ˈhɛl ɪʃ)

adj.

1. of, like, or suitable to hell; infernal.

2. extremely unpleasant or difficult; miserable.

3. devilishly bad; fiendish.

[1520–30]

hell′ish•ly, adv.

hell′ish•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	hellish - very unpleasant; "hellish weather"; "stop that god-awful racket" beastly, god-awful unpleasant - disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings ; "an unpleasant personality"; "unpleasant repercussions"; "unpleasant odors"
	2.	hellish - extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell; "something demonic in him--something that could be cruel"; "fires lit up a diabolic scene"; "diabolical sorcerers under the influence of devils"; "a fiendish despot"; "hellish torture"; "infernal instruments of war"; "satanic cruelty"; "unholy grimaces" demonic, fiendish, satanic, unholy, infernal, diabolic, diabolical evil - morally bad or wrong; "evil purposes"; "an evil influence"; "evil deeds"

hellish

adjective

1. (Informal) atrocious, terrible, dreadful, cruel, vicious, monstrous, wicked, inhuman, barbarous, abominable, nefarious, accursed, execrable, detestable He was held for three years in hellish conditions.
atrocious fine, wonderful, good, kind, gentle, pleasant, noble, delightful, harmless, admirable, honourable, humane, agreeable, benevolent, virtuous, innocuous, merciful

2. devilish, fiendish, diabolical, infernal, damned, damnable, demoniacal They began to pray, making devilish gestures with a hellish noise.

adverb (Old-fashioned) very, extremely, terribly, seriously, incredibly, awfully, exceedingly, excessively It's hellish cold up here in winter.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

hellish

adjective

Perversely bad, cruel, or wicked:

devilish, diabolic, diabolical, fiendish, ghoulish, infernal, ogreish, satanic, satanical.

Translations

infernale

адский

hellish

[ˈhelɪʃ]

A. ADJ → infernal, de muerte

B. ADV → muy, terriblemente

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

hellish

[ˈhɛlɪʃ] adj → infernal(e)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

hellish

(inf)

adj

(fig: = diabolical) → höllisch (inf); traffic, heat, cold → mörderisch (inf); it’s hellish → es ist die reinste Hölle (inf); the exams were hellish → die Prüfungen waren verteufelt schwer (inf)

(= wicked) plan, actions → höllisch, teuflisch

adv (= awfully) → höllisch (inf), → mörderisch (inf); he felt hellish guilty → er hatte schreckliche Schuldgefühle

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

hellish

[ˈhɛlɪʃ] adj (fam) → infernale, bestiale

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

And I had done an hellish thing, And it would work 'em woe: For all averred, I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow.

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I could n't stand against this, and withdrew with her to a neighboring house, where I had been but a few minutes before the hellish crew fell upon my house with the rage of devils, and in a moment with axes split down the doors and entered.

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Now, upon the most diligent enquiry into the former lives of these two brothers, I find, besides the cursed and hellish maxim of policy above mentioned, another reason for the captain's conduct: the captain, besides what we have before said of him, was a man of great pride and fierceness, and had always treated his brother, who was of a different complexion, and greatly deficient in both these qualities, with the utmost air of superiority.

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Yea, a hellish artifice hath here been devised, a death-horse jingling with the trappings of divine honours!

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The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth.

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I heard a short, sharp cry behind me, a fall, and turning saw an awful face rushing upon me,--not human, not animal, but hellish, brown, seamed with red branching scars, red drops starting out upon it, and the lidless eyes ablaze.

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Finally, he reached the highest honour in hellish service.

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They all asked for reinforcements and all said that the Russians were holding their positions and maintaining a hellish fire under which the French army was melting away.

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I was so astonished with the sight of these things, that I entertained no notions of any danger to myself from it for a long while: all my apprehensions were buried in the thoughts of such a pitch of inhuman, hellish brutality, and the horror of the degeneracy of human nature, which, though I had heard of it often, yet I never had so near a view of before; in short, I turned away my face from the horrid spectacle; my stomach grew sick, and I was just at the point of fainting, when nature discharged the disorder from my stomach; and having vomited with uncommon violence, I was a little relieved, but could not bear to stay in the place a moment; so I got up the hill again with all the speed I could, and walked on towards my own habitation.

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It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see.

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Devil with Devil damn'd Firm concord holds, men onely disagree Of Creatures rational, though under hope Of heavenly Grace: and God proclaiming peace, Yet live in hatred, enmitie, and strife Among themselves, and levie cruel warres, Wasting the Earth, each other to destroy: As if (which might induce us to accord) Man had not hellish foes anow besides, That day and night for his destruction waite.

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The expression of the Count's face was so hellish, that for a moment I feared for Harker, though I saw him throw the terrible knife aloft again for another stroke.

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