hellacious

English

Alternative forms

• helatious

Etymology

Unclear origins; perhaps from hell +‎ -acious

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛˈleɪʃəs/

• Audio (General Australian):

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• Audio (US):

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• Hyphenation: hel‧la‧cious
• Rhymes: -eɪʃəs

Adjective

hellacious (comparative more hellacious, superlative most hellacious)

1. horrible, awful, hellish, agonizing, difficult.
   • 2007, Dan Horgan, Bringing Back Boxing: A Young Journalist's Attempt to Revive the Sweet Science, page 86:

     Because he throws so many hellacious punches, he has the chance of knocking out any fighter on any given night.

2. nasty, repellent.
3. (slang) Remarkable, unbelievable, unusual.

Derived terms

• hellaciously
• hellaciousness