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

Police spokesperson Frederic Papaux of Fribourg canton, or region, said the inferno broke out Tuesday evening on a bus in the town of Kerzers, about 15 miles west of Bern, the Swiss capital. —CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026

Specialist equipment was used to tackle the inferno. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026

Netflix While the climax of Jonas' novel also revolves around a fire at the cabin, the result of the inferno plays out much differently in the book. —Megan McCluskey, Time, 5 Mar. 2026

Given the tyrannical inferno that engulfed these precariously united states, my personal plights were mere embers, ashes, in the grand scheme of things. —Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 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"