Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Impetuously or recklessly determined to do or achieve something.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Recklessly determined, without regard to consequences; determined to have or do at all hazards; resolved; “deadset”: as, he went hell-bent after it.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective recklessly determined.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Alternative spelling of hellbent.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective recklessly determined

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Did they really intend for these rights to be extended to a bunch of uncivilized, weapon-toting, cave-dwelling, barbaric religious fanatics on the other side of the globe who were hell-bent on destroying the very things the constitution was written to protect?

    Administration critics slam civilian trials for 9/11 suspects 2009

  • An opposition party hell-bent on scuttling his every efforts regardless.

    CNN Poll: Obama approval under 50 percent 2009

  • When Dulles returned, he and Hoover met with a president hell-bent on turning the Middle East crisis into something constructive and permanent.30 Ike had long viewed the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors as the linchpin of any plan for a general reduction of Western-Arab tensions.

    Eisenhower 1956 David A. Nichols 2011

  • I am sick and tired of people who claim to be patriotic being such fearful sissies, hell-bent on throwing away our freedom for a little false sense of security.

    Obama criticized for terror response 2009

  • Francis Russell, special assistant to the secretary, met in advance with Ambassador Hussein and confirmed to the secretary that Nasser was “hell-bent” to go forward with the project, even though the Soviets had made no “firm offer.”

    Eisenhower 1956 David A. Nichols 2011

  • Why are you so hell-bent on spending time around me?

    The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf Molly Harper 2011

  • When Dulles returned, he and Hoover met with a president hell-bent on turning the Middle East crisis into something constructive and permanent.30 Ike had long viewed the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors as the linchpin of any plan for a general reduction of Western-Arab tensions.

    Eisenhower 1956 David A. Nichols 2011

  • Why are you so hell-bent on spending time around me?

    The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf Molly Harper 2011

  • Francis Russell, special assistant to the secretary, met in advance with Ambassador Hussein and confirmed to the secretary that Nasser was “hell-bent” to go forward with the project, even though the Soviets had made no “firm offer.”

    Eisenhower 1956 David A. Nichols 2011

  • They are hell-bent and determined to pass anything regardless if it costs a trillion dollars and regardless if it will work or not.

    CNN Poll: Americans split on health care reform 2009

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