Definitions

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

  • adjective Distasteful and repellant.
  • adjective Slang Extraordinary; remarkable.

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

  • adjective nasty, repellent
  • adjective slang remarkable, unbelievable, unusual

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[hell + -acious (as in audacious).]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word hellacious.

Examples

  • He takes us back to his youth in "hellacious" Brownsville, Brooklyn of the 1970s, telling us that before he became a street thug, he was the target of neighborhood bullies because he lacked the confidence to stand up for himself.

    Greg Hanlon: HuffPost Review: Tyson 2009

  • Nicole Belle, from who I borrowed the long quote above, asks: "What kind of hellacious Kool-aid are they serving down at the Weekly Standard?"

    Norman Lear: In the Language of Today 2008

  • Miller was his usual forthright self, saying Tiger Woods was "hellacious" Sunday.

    USATODAY.com - NBC uses deft touch on Ryder Cup 2002

  • Besides modeling, she said she'd been writing her autobiography and spending time on her 300-acre Rattlesnake Ranch in the Southwest, where she drives a "hellacious" truck and an "even meaner" Jeep, rides motorcycles and hot-tubs naked.

    The Women Over 50 I'd Really Like To ��� 2000

  • Francis's flexibility extends to special teams, where Etcheverry noted he's "hellacious" in kick coverage.

    canada.com Top Stories 2010

  • New York state Senate a "hellacious" place, the president of a statewide group warned local hospital leaders they're in for a bumpy ride.

    WN.com - Business News 2009

  • To them, Iraq was some kind of hellacious mess for a while, so pulling our troops was not such a crazy idea.

    Back Talk 2008

  • Although he was deemed a failure as a starter, at his worst Mr. Chamberlain posted numbers better than that, and did it pitching in the hellacious AL East.

    Soriano Signing Raises Questions About Joba Dan Barbarisi 2011

  • The first week of Jerry Brown's governorship told us a lot, and set the stage for the second week, in which a hellacious state budget proposal is dominating.

    William Bradley: The Jerry Brown Era Unfolds (Again) William Bradley 2011

  • The first week of Jerry Brown's governorship told us a lot, and set the stage for the second week, in which a hellacious state budget proposal is dominating.

    William Bradley: The Jerry Brown Era Unfolds (Again) William Bradley 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • very powerful; extremely difficult

    September 12, 2007

  • not quite the same as hellish.

    October 19, 2007