hella (English) - Vocabulary & GRE App

Direct Cross-Language Association: “Hella” in German

This word also exists in German! Meaning: “a female given name, variant of Helene or Helga”

View German Entry →

hella

EN • English

//ˈhɛl.ə//(US)

Definitions & Usage

determiner

(slang, chiefly Northern California) An intensifier, signifying an abundance of a thing; much or many.

Example: “There are hella people here.”

Synonyms:

bare mad

pronoun

(slang, chiefly Northern California) A lot; very much.

Example: “We paid hella for that Chinese cuisine.”

adverb

(slang, chiefly Northern California) Intensifier, modifying verbs; to a large extent; totally; very much.

Example: “I can't tell you how much I hella love the new track.”

Example: “Jane was driving away, and the door was open, so I hella ran for it.”

Synonyms:

wicked

adverb

(slang, potentially considered vulgar, chiefly regional US, African-American Vernacular) Intensifier, modifying adjectives; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly.

Example: “I guess she seems hella stoned in her commercial.”

Example: “I've been a Star Wars fan since I was hella young.”

Synonyms:

wicked

interjection

(slang, chiefly Northern California) For sure; totally; hell yeah; used as a strong affirmation of something that was just said, accomplished, or revealed.

Example: “"We definitely rocked that shit man!" "Hella!"”

contraction

(nonstandard) Contraction of Hell + have.

Example: “Where the hella you been?”

Notable Literary & Historical Quotes

“Now, let’s talk bidness. I got nothing for you. Wrong. You got hella cash.”

— 2016, Life Is Strange, spoken by Chloe Price (Ashly Burch), Square Enix, via Dontnod Entertainment:

“(“We practiced it hella times, but it’s new, and I can’t really get it on top of the music yet,” she explained.)”

— 2023 August 20, Kelefa Sanneh, quoting Fatimah Nyeema Warner, “Noname’s Ambivalent, Triumphant Comeback”, in The New Yorker, →ISSN:

“You’re right. We hella deserve it. Splish splash! Did you actually just say "hella"? I think I’m a good bad influence on you.”

— 2016, Life Is Strange, spoken by Chloe Price (Hannah Telle as Max Caulfield and Ashly Burch), Square Enix, via Dontnod Entertainment: