1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
the depression that has enshrouded her since the death of her husband is a Gehenna from which she may never be released
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hell
the place of punishment for the wicked after death
in a fire-and-brimstone sermon, the evangelist warned those assembled that they faced the fires of Gehenna if they failed to repent
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Gehenna
Noun
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Their evident fondness for one another, glowing warmly alongside all their sniping and whispering and eye-rolling, allows all the nightmares in Big Mistakes to feel like a lark rather than an incipient calamity.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026 -
The couple's life has gone from something out of a postcard to the stuff of nightmares after Lynette Hooker went missing during a nighttime Bahamas boat trip.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Moms of little kids already know Hanna Andersson—the name behind those iconic, colorful, soft-as-hell PJs (and cute outfits to boot).—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
12 Apr. 2026
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There have been times when the isolation of rehab has felt like being reclused into her own personal pandemic hell, where the solitude or recovery has left her near starving for human connection.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The agony of America’s post-1945 wars has been their gradual inducement of a sense of futility.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
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As young fans gripped their face in agony, the older faces held their palms up in knowing shrugs.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Sheriff’s Office had recused itself from the investigation days after the inferno.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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At one point, eight tower ladders surrounded the building, shooting water onto the inferno from all directions, limiting the flames from spreading to other buildings.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Ahmed provides his haunted, intelligent eyes to convey the inner torment of this Hamlet, the grieving scion of a wealthy family of real estate developers.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Ahmed provides his haunted, intelligent eyes to convey the inner torment of this Hamlet, the grieving scion of a wealthy family of real estate developers.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The show is a propulsive hurricane of misery and cringe, from the violent incident that sets off this series of unfortunate events to the twists and horrors that unfold.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
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But putting all that effort toward something that’s not real weighs on him, and Isaac’s taut encapsulation of misery compliments a series that feeds on tension.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Chime, his 2024 horror short, and Serpent’s Path (1998), the dark gangland thriller, are currently screening in arthouse cinemas in major cities across the country courtesy of Janus.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
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Although today’s audiences might be more desensitized to such gruesome scenes thanks to hyperrealistic special effects in modern horror movies, and the commonplace spread of graphic clips online, audiences of the ‘80s were reportedly traumatized and scandalized.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The movie depicts grisly scenes of death, torture and dismemberment involving humans and animals.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
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For example, more than 280 Venezuelan migrants were sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, where routine torture has been documented, in defiance of a federal court order.—
Erwin Chemerinsky,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Gehenna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Gehenna. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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