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hellion

/ˈhɛljən/
IPA guide

Other forms: hellions

A hellion is someone who makes mischief or gets into trouble. You might refer to the kids you babysit as a bunch of hellions if they regularly refuse to go to bed, instead staging massive pillow fights.

Hellion almost always describes a young person, often a child, who raises a ruckus or makes trouble in some rowdy way. The little boy next door might have most people fooled into thinking he's an angel, but you'll know he's a hellion when you spot him jumping off the roof into a pile of snow or putting firecrackers in your mailbox. Hellion is an American word, inspired by the Scottish hallion, or "scamp."

Definitions of hellion
  1. noun
    a rowdy or mischievous person (usually a young man)
    “he chased the young hellions out of his yard”
    synonyms: devil, heller
    see moresee less
    type of:
    bad hat, mischief-maker, trouble maker, troublemaker, troubler
    someone who deliberately stirs up trouble
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