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hell-bent. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
hell-bent, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
hell-bent in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
hell-bent you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From hell (“in a manner that uses all of the strength, speed, or effort that a person can summon”) + bent (“determined, insistent”),[1] that is, in the sense “determined like hell”.
Pronunciation
Adjective
hell-bent (comparative more hell-bent, superlative most hell-bent)
- (originally US, informal) Recklessly determined to do or achieve (something).
- Synonym: dead set
He was hell-bent on coming first, no matter what.
1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 16:If somebody had asked me why I was so hell-bent on grabbing a piece of Penny Hardwick's chest, I wouldn't have known what to say. And if somebody were to ask Penny why she was so hell-bent on stopping me, I'll bet she'd be stumped for an answer too.
2023 September 26, Sam Jones, “Spain elections: Feijóo launches doomed bid to lead country”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:The PP has seized on the possibility of an amnesty to rally support and to portray the PSOE leader as craven, dependent on Catalan separatists and hellbent on remaining in office.
Derived terms
Translations
recklessly determined to do or achieve something
- Bulgarian: готов на всичко (gotov na vsičko), настървен (bg) (nastǎrven), заинатен (bg) (zainaten)
- Catalan: entossudit (ca), encaparrat (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 拼命的
- Czech: odhodlaný (cs) m, pevně odhodlaný m
- Dutch: vastbesloten (nl)
- Finnish: jääräpäinen (fi)
- French: acharné (fr)
- German: unerbittlich (de), versessen (de), versteift (de)
- Hungarian: (a végsőkig) elszánt, (teljességgel) eltökélt
- Italian: caparbio (it), determinato (it) m, ostinato (it) m
- Maori: waweroka, waweruka
- Persian: لجوج (fa) (lajuj)
- Russian: готовый на всё (gotovyj na vsjo)
- Spanish: empecinado (es), empeñado (es), emperrado (es)
- Swedish: fast besluten
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Adverb
hell-bent (comparative more hell-bent, superlative most hell-bent)
- (originally US, informal) In a recklessly determined manner; determinedly, wholeheartedly.
Translations
References