More resembling or characteristic of hell; more infernal or unpleasant than something else.
Comparative form of 'helly,' derived from Old English 'hel' (the underworld) plus the comparative suffix '-ier.' The word evolved as people needed ways to intensify descriptions of terrible conditions.
Medieval people used comparative forms like 'hellier' to describe genuinely unbearable situations—extreme cold, poverty, or pain—making the word a window into what suffering meant before modern medicine and heated buildings.
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