inferno

noun

in·​fer·​no in-ˈfər-(ˌ)nō 

plural infernos

: a place or a state that resembles or suggests hell

the inferno of war

also : an intense fire : conflagration

a raging inferno

Synonyms

• conflagration
• fire
• holocaust

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

On Thursday, Holmes, 58, was killed in an inferno that consumed a SouthPark construction site. —Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024

For the second time in just over a year, a busy portion of Interstate 95 in Connecticut has been shut down — possibly for days — after a tractor-trailer carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline exploded into a massive inferno Thursday morning in Norwalk. —Stepheny Price, Fox News, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, hell, from Late Latin infernus

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

inferno

noun

in·​fer·​no in-ˈfər-nō 

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"