underworld

noun

un·​der·​world ˈən-dər-ˌwərld 

1

: the place of departed souls : hades

2

archaic : earth

3

: the side of the earth opposite to one : antipodes

4

: a social sphere below the level of ordinary life

the town's seedy underworld

especially : the world of organized crime

Synonyms

• abyss
• netherworld
• depths
• demimonde

Examples of underworld in a Sentence

a magazine article taking an insightful look at the underworld inhabited by street people

Recent Examples on the Web

Hauser plays Pug Browder, a violent and unpredictable figure shadowing Eddy’s chaotic stumble through Austin’s criminal underworld. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025

Shot in Japanese and English across Tokyo and Singapore, the series stars Anna Yamada and Shawn Thia as gamers caught in Tokyo’s criminal underworld of scams and trafficking. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

The gritty drama set in the Birmingham criminal underworld will continue after its upcoming feature film with a series centered on a new generation of Shelbys. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025

Bruno himself is preëxistingly missing, having vanished some years earlier, when things started getting uncomfortably hot in the cheese underworld. —Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing underworld

• the underworld

Rhymes for underworld

• netherworld
• otherworld
• curled
• furled
• hurled
• knurled
• swirled
• twirled
• whirled
• whorled
• world
• lifeworld

Kids Definition

underworld

noun

un·​der·​world ˈən-dər-ˌwərld 

1

: the place of the souls of the dead

2

: the side of the earth opposite to one

3

: the world of organized crime