hellacious

or hel·la·ceous

[ he-ley-shuhs ]

adjective

, Slang.

1. remarkable; astonishing:

   They're raising a hellacious amount of money in taxes.

2. formidably difficult:

   We had a hellacious time getting here in the blizzard.

hellacious

/ hɛˈleɪʃəs /

adjective

1. remarkable; horrifying
2. wonderful; excellent

Word History and Origins

Origin of hellacious¹

hell + -acious (extracted from audacious, sagacious, vivacious, etc.), perhaps with intensive or augmentative force; bodacious, splendacious

Word History and Origins

Origin of hellacious¹

C20: from hell + -acious as in audacious

Example Sentences

Venus is hot right now, and not just because its hellacious surface temperatures can melt lead.

From Popular-Science

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