helluv

H4E1L1L1U1V4

adjective

Intensifier, signifies an abundance of a thing; much or many.

“That new girl is helluv sexy.”

Similar
madwicked
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Meanings

helluv1

adjectivehelluv (not comparable)
  1. Northern Californianot comparableslangIntensifier, signifies an abundance of a thing; much or many.

    Hey, if you guys get the munchies, there's helluv candy in the cupboard.

    1 more example

    […] and all of the other people I have met who show me helluv love when I come through your town.

    2006, Joylynn Jossel, When Souls Mate

    Synonyms: mad

adverbhelluv (not comparable)
  1. Northern Californianot comparableslangIntensifier (modifies verbs); to a large extent; totally; very much.

    Dude, I helluv want to go to the show with you, but I'm soooo grounded.

    1 more example

    “[…]. This helluv hurts.” We grownups burst out laughing, and I hugged her bony adolescent shoulders.

    2002, Peggy Vincent, Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, page 225
  2. Northern Californianot comparableslangIntensifier (modifies adjectives); to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly.

    That new girl is helluv sexy.

    2 more examples

    “We had the baby, like two minutes ago. It was helluv icy. […] Naeema was so brave, just hellabitchin', and I delivered the baby myself 'cause we have this hellafresh midwife who taught me how to do it.”

    2002, Peggy Vincent, Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, page 226

    “Man, if I had never been to California and read that magazine, I would be helluv scared to come out there!”

    2003, Adrienne Anderson, Word: Rap, Politics and Feminism, page 14

    Synonyms: wicked

interjection
  1. Northern CaliforniaslangFor sure; totally; hell yeah; used as a strong affirmation of something that was just said, accomplished, or revealed.

    "Hey, you wanna come to the concert tonight?" "Oh, helluv!"

helluv2

contraction
  1. colloquialcontractionElision of "hell of".

    “That's the helluv it — beggin' yer pardon, miss...”

    1997, Kat Martin, Innocence Undone, page 297
    1 more example

    Oh, you goddam-betcha, Julie, it's one helluva lot better — one HELLUV A lot better — to be born dirt-poor. Course then you get to stay that way the rest of your life.

    1977, Curt Johnson, The Morning Light, page 214
  2. colloquialcontractionElision of "the hell of".

    “Helluv it is,” he grumbled. “I was thinking of marrying her myself. Wrote her a letter, but it didn't get posted in time.”

    1997, Kat Martin, Innocence Undone, page 173
  3. colloquialcontractionElision of "hell have"

    Where the helluv you been?

    1973, Richard Cowper, Clone, page 99

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveIntensifier, signifies an abundance of a thing; much or many.

Similar
mad

adverbIntensifier (modifies adjectives); to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly.

Similar
wicked
Also see
mad

Origin

helluv · adjective, adverb, interjection

From "hell of (a)", like hella (originally Northern California slang). See also Wikipedia:Hella (word).

Full word history & related roots →

helluv · contraction

Shortened form, or elision, of phrases like "hell of" or "hell have", approximating casual speech in writing.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

helluv. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helluv

MLA

“helluv.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helluv. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “helluv,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helluv.

Source: helluv on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.