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 of inferno

• fire

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

That’s just in time for a firecracker-hot Independence Day holiday weekend, as Juliette has apparently survived season 2's airlock inferno thanks to her trusty fire-retardant suit and indomitable will. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 4 June 2026

Crucial events morphed into massive set pieces, like Louis hunting down Claudia’s killers by setting their theater on fire, exploding the motorcycles of the vampires who fled the inferno, and eventually bursting out of a manhole to behead Claudia’s main tormenter. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026

Our bombs turned the city into a burning inferno and killed countless civilians. —Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026

Twenty-six years earlier, a roaring inferno engulfed a Monte Carlo penthouse killing a billionaire and his private nurse. —Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 17 May 2026

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"