hell-bent
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See also: hellbent
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈhɛlˌbɛnt/
Audio (RP) (file)
Adjective[edit]
hell-bent (comparative more hell-bent, superlative most hell-bent)
- (originally US, informal, transitive with on) 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.
Alternative forms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
- hellbender (possibly)
- hell-bent for leather
Translations[edit]
recklessly determined to do or achieve something
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Adverb[edit]
hell-bent (comparative more hell-bent, superlative most hell-bent)
- (originally US, informal) In a recklessly determined manner; determinedly, wholeheartedly.
Translations[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ “hell-bent, adj. and adv.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2020; “hell-bent, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.