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Definition of heckuva

heckuva

/ˈhɛk.ə.və/
heck · u · va
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heckuva Lexical Profile

heckuva Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

North American Informal contraction of "heck of a," used before a noun as an intensifier to mean extraordinary, remarkable, or considerable (either very good or very bad).

Example

"The community volunteers did a heckuva job organizing the charity fundraiser on such short notice."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for heckuva
Antonyms
View all antonyms for heckuva

Word Nuance & Usage

"Heckuva" is an informal eye-dialect contraction of "heck of a" and is strictly used attributively before a singular noun phrase (e.g., "a heckuva job"), never as a predicate adjective.

• Nearby Words

heck
heckle
heckler
heckuva
hectare
hectic
hectically

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in early 20th-century American English as a phonetic spelling of the informal phrase "heck of a," itself a mild euphemistic alteration of "hell of a."

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Heckuva. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/heckuva
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