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

• 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

Taylor Swift poured tanks of gasoline on social media, struck a match and lit the internet in an inferno of excitement. —Bryan West, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025

It is not yet known whether the person died in the inferno or drowned. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 20 July 2025

Lyrics invoke rifles, scythes, sailors, saints, cowboys, floods, Mother Earth, Joan of Arc and blazing infernos. —Sophie Williams, Billboard, 17 July 2025

Another iconic Salgado photograph, this time from Kuwait: A Desert on Fire, shows a man silhouetted against a raging inferno. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025

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"