Definition of underworldnext
as in abyss
a social sphere that exists outside of the mainstream a magazine article taking an insightful look at the underworld inhabited by street people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of underworld The unlicensed recovery center underworld ranges from places that pamper patients with space and very personal care by licensed medical professionals to places that cram patients into spaces minded by people with limited or no medical training. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 After slowly changing the theatrical underworld as the king of midnight movies, Curry spent the rest of his acting career gleefully refusing to be pinned down. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026 Because these operations draw from the criminal underworld, the Iranian regime can deny any involvement. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 And yet, few authors, if any, have captured the spirit of the culinary underworld with such raw honesty and authenticity. — Mike Miller, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underworld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underworld
Noun
  • The film’s musical score, by Damon Albarn of Blur, has a haunting Bowie-like party-on-the-abyss shimmer.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Her writing transports us to Mount Sinai, Transylvania, Africa, the Amazon rainforest, Antarctica, Yellowstone, and the deep ocean abyss.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • And with most of the original cast now long gone, the latest sequel often feels as cursed as that treacherous netherworld.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Further, in other words, doesn’t just have to be a foggy, dim netherworld.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Built in 1926, near the end of what many consider the heyday of the American carousel, the Griffith Park merry-go-round began its life in San Diego and was relocated to Los Angeles in the depths of the Great Depression in 1937.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • One of Vicuña’s new paintings is Polvo del Sahara/ Saharan Desert Dust (2026), an underwater scene showing the light reflecting into the depths of the ocean, where a stone staircase leads to somewhere beyond the horizon.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • This debacle plunges the Marvins into Sydney’s criminal demimonde, where Susi is part of an organization headquartered in an amusement park and led by another brother-sister duo, this one terrifyingly unhinged.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
  • The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
    — Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Underworld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underworld. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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