ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hellish

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈhɛɫɪʃ// UK //hˈɛlɪʃ// hellish

adj. extremely unpleasant, difficult, or hot. You use this to describe a situation that feels like a bad dream or a very tough place to be.

adj. characterised by extreme heat, suffering, or misery. Often used to describe environments or experiences that are intensely unpleasant or oppressive.


SIMPLE

The summer heat made the hike feel hellish.

CONTEXTUAL

The workers endured a hellish week of overtime to meet the deadline for the new project.

COMPLEX

The documentary provides a hellish portrait of the industrial revolution, focusing on the grueling conditions that workers faced in the textile mills of the nineteenth century.

Synonyms
Origin

From hell + -ish.

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