hellbent
hellbent Lexical Profile
hellbent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Stubbornly, recklessly, or obsessively determined to achieve a particular goal regardless of the consequences (usually followed by 'on').
"The board of directors seemed hellbent on pushing the merger through despite the warnings from financial analysts."
• adverb
North American At a recklessly fast speed; with wild, headlong momentum.
"The cyclists rode hellbent down the steep mountain pass toward the finish line."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective, 'hellbent' (often hyphenated as 'hell-bent') is used almost exclusively in the predicate position and is typically followed by the preposition 'on' and a gerund or noun phrase (e.g., 'hellbent on winning').
• Rhymes for hellbent
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 19th century as an American English colloquialism, the word combines 'hell' (used as an intensifier) with 'bent' in the sense of being strongly inclined or resolved toward a course of action.