inferno

noun

in·​fer·​no in-ˈfər-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce inferno (audio)
plural infernos
: a place or a state that resembles or suggests hell
the inferno of war
also : an intense fire : conflagration
a raging inferno

Examples of inferno in a Sentence

By the time help arrived, the fire had grown to a raging inferno. the intense heat of the raging inferno repeatedly drove back the firefighters
Recent Examples on the Web By the end of the ‘70s, a disco inferno was blazing. Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024 In keeping with Scream tradition, the deaths are outside the box — a screwdriver is pierced into a bar patron's neck, a teenager's throat is gashed through his Adam's apple, and someone is lathered in hand sanitizer and lit on fire (scorched into a blazing inferno). Michael Lee Simpson, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2023 With cell service and power out, many people were left in the dark — in the path of an inferno. Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2024 The blaze grew into a raging inferno that affected virtually everyone in the region. Kathleen McGrory, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2024 Skies in the northeastern United States turned orange, hazy, and hazardous as the result of more than 400 infernos in Canada’s vast boreal forests in early June. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2023 The gallery is quiet and not uncomfortably warm, but to walk through it is be led into an inferno. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024 The department warns that dry Christmas needles can turn a small fire into an inferno in less than 7 seconds. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023 According to survivor accounts, railroad workers clearing land for tracks started a brush fire on Oct. 8, 1871, that grew into an inferno that scorched between 1.2 million and 1.5 million acres. CBS News, 14 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inferno.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Italian, hell, from Late Latin infernus

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inferno was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near inferno

Cite this Entry

“Inferno.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferno. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inferno

noun
in·​fer·​no in-ˈfər-nō How to pronounce inferno (audio)
plural infernos
: a place or state that resembles or suggests hell especially in great heat or raging fire
Etymology

from Italian inferno "underworld, hell," from Latin infernus (same meaning), from earlier infernus (adjective) "lying beneath, in the lower regions"

More from Merriam-Webster on inferno

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!