hellaciousadj.adv.
/hɛˈleɪʃəs/, U.S. /hɛˈleɪʃəs/ U.S. slang.
1. Terrific, tremendous, remarkable. Also occasionally as adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > very great > and remarkable
outnumenc1225
whata1325
outnemea1400
excessive1477
superiora1500
supernatural?1537
supereminent?1563
extraordinary1572
no mean ——1580
metaphysical1589
superhumana1629
uncommon1700
unco1724
some1808
hellacious1847
helluva1905
(a) hang of a1941
1847 Spirit of Times 30 Jan. 579/1 In your mad capers, you hellacious scamp.
a1897 F. B. Lloyd Sketches Country Life (1898) xliv. 264 The various and sundry things that me and you..do know to a most hellacious certainty..would make a whole passel.
1934 Amer. Speech 9 289/1 Hellacious, outstanding.
1976 Business Week (Industr. ed.) 4 Oct. 38 e/2 The CB industry is in a ‘hellacious slump’.
1986 R. J. Conley Back to Malachi vii. 45 He came down with a hellacious loud stomp, still hanging on to his left foot with his right hand.
2005 Time 31 Jan. 59/1 While James' hellacious dunks evoke Jordan, his height and court vision..mirror those of..Magic Johnson.
2. Extremely unpleasant or difficult; awful, dreadful, hellish.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > [adjective] > unpleasant > extremely
queasy1937
cunty1943
cuntish1962
gut-wrenching1972
toe-curling1976
hellacious1977
hackit1985
1977 Washington Post 12 Sept. d7/4 I've seen guys who broke people's jaws... And broken rib cages... Those are hellacious things.
1980 N.Y. Times 23 Sept. c22/1 I was in Vietnam for two years and I've seen some hellacious sights over there.
1992 A. Walker Possessing Secret of Joy xi. 174 Pierre laughs at my concern, gracefully refraining from observing aloud that my own marriage has been hellacious.
2006 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 4 Oct. 2 d We had a pretty hellacious six weeks early last year because of the seizures.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.adv.1847