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hellion

SayHEL-ee-uhn/ˈhɛliən/

Pluralhellions

4 meanings of hellion

Practice

  1. 1
    wild childnouncountable
    A troublemaker given to rowdy, unruly, or mischievous behavior, especially a child.

    Their youngest is a little hellion who climbs everything in the house.

    A pack of teenage hellions set off firecrackers outside the library.

    UsageOften half fond when said of children: a little hellion.

    Similarrascal, scamp, rapscallion

    Note

    Said of a child, it sits close to rascal and scamp; the harsher charge belongs to the "evil person" meaning.

  2. 2
    evil personnouncountable
    A wicked or evil person.

    Similarvillain, fiend, devil, monster

Less common meanings

  1. 3
    nounrare
    The larva of the dobsonfly.
  2. 4
    adjectiverare
    Cursed or ill-fated.

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Origin

Hallion, a dialect word in northern England and Scotland for a "scamp, worthless fellow," was reshaped under the influence of hell. Where hallion itself came from is unknown.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  • Hellion developed from hallion, a northern English and Scottish dialect word meaning “scamp, worthless fellow,” under the influence of hell. en.wiktionary.org
  • Hallion's own origin is unknown. en.wiktionary.org