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It was hell. vs It was like hell.

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'It was hell' is a straightforward statement indicating a very difficult or unpleasant situation. 'It was like hell' implies a comparison, suggesting that the situation felt similar to being in hell.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 1114 views

It was hell.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe a very difficult or unpleasant situation.

This phrase is used to express that a situation was extremely challenging, unpleasant, or distressing.

Examples:

The traffic jam was hell.
The exam was hell.
The project deadline was hell.
Dealing with the customer complaints was hell.
The heatwave was hell.

Show examples from the web [+]

From that point on it was hell.
I changed my name, moved, and it was hell.
One day it was normal; the next day it was hell.
The ghetto had been a purgatory, now it was hell.
I mean, it was really hell.
You're the apple of my eye, but it was really hell.
I thought it was just another hell.
I thought it was just another hell.
Yeah, it was hell for me.
As a member of the guerilla, it was hell for him.
But it was hell here too.
No. It was hell on earth.
Because it was an excursion to hell.
It was like shutting down hell.
It was a scene from hell.
Yeah, it was hideous, pure hell.
Yeah, it was colder than hell.
I don't know what he used, but it was hot as hell.
As a member of the guerilla, it was hell for him.
It was hell living with her. ...

Alternatives:

it was terrible.
it was awful.
it was unbearable.
it was a nightmare.
it was torture.

It was like hell.

This phrase is correct and is used to compare a situation to the experience of being in hell.

This phrase is used to convey that a situation felt similar to being in a very difficult, painful, or unpleasant place.

Examples:

The pain was like hell.
The waiting room was like hell.
The noise was like hell.
The loneliness was like hell.
The chaos was like hell.

Show examples from the web [+]

It was like shutting down hell.
And in the ring, when you see later, when they're all circling around, if those two black horses ever got next to each other, it was like all hell broke loose.
It was very faint - almost like a ghost image - and l looked like hell.
It was an open casket and she looked like hell.
Of course, it was a BB gun... but still, it woulïve hurt like hell.
The heat was like hell on Earth.
So, it was a real mess, but while we walked down, we run down like hell.
Actually, this place looks like hell.
He keeps forgetting things, he looks like hell.
Well, it hurts like hell.
Granny and daddy is nagging like hell.
This fracture of the ulna would have hurt like hell.
Let's not start with words like hell.
Listen, you may feel like hell.
After that, I ran like hell.
Then we plant our bomb and run like hell.
So, the C.O.'s screaming like hell.
And if your first impulse is to lie, you better fucking resist like hell.
They say: To get something you must want it like hell.
To get something you must be scared like hell.

Alternatives:

it was as bad as hell.
it was reminiscent of hell.
it was akin to hell.
it was hellish.
it was hell-like.

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