English Reference

Word

helluva

Phoneticshel·lu·va

US/ˌhɛˈɫuvə/

UK/hˈɛləvɐ/

Definition

adv. a very great amount of something. You use this when you want to say something is extremely good or bad in a casual way.

adv. an extremely large amount or degree of something.

Examples

“That was a helluva party last night.”

“The team put in a helluva effort during the final minutes of the game to secure the victory.”

“After a helluva long journey across the continent, the travelers were finally ready to rest and enjoy the local cuisine.”

Examples

simple

“That was a helluva party last night.”

contextual

“The team put in a helluva effort during the final minutes of the game to secure the victory.”

complex

“After a helluva long journey across the continent, the travelers were finally ready to rest and enjoy the local cuisine.”

Real-World Examples

“He looked a bit like a cross between Diego Simeone and Gerard Piqué, which would be a helluva style of play to master.”
The Guardian · 17 Aug 2026

Etymology

Written form of a reduction (relaxed pronunciation) of hell of a.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/helluva

English Reference