1
as in inferno
the place of punishment for the wicked after death
condemned to hell for their sins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
picking cotton under the hot summer sun was hell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order
all hell broke loose when the jury's verdict was announced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hell
Experienced guy, obviously a smart, hell of high school coach – hell of a coach in general.
—
Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
But, famously, hell really is other people; and certainly that’s true for us in day-to-day life.
—Jeremy Dauber, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
Life behind bars was pure hell for Mr. Fields who also suffered from mental illness.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Most of Hollywood is development hell, with the occasional break.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
But, famously, hell really is other people; and certainly that’s true for us in day-to-day life.
—Jeremy Dauber, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
Life behind bars was pure hell for Mr. Fields who also suffered from mental illness.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Most of Hollywood is development hell, with the occasional break.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
Relocated to a coastal town under the care of her brother’s best friend, Axel Nguyen, Leah grapples with grief, haunting nightmares and a fractured sense of self.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
-
There are a lot of stock viewer-goosings: Screaming ghoul faces, crawling insects, waking nightmares and other jump scares, including the sonic kind of sudden loud noises or silences.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As such, bright moonlight will flood the sky through most of that key night and will certainly play havoc with any serious attempts to observe these meteors.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense is operating at a fairly efficient rate and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s defense has a front seven that’s capable of creating major havoc in the run and pass games.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Mike Birbiglia’s The Good Life, Marc Maron’s Panicked, Cameron Esposito’s Four Pills, and Bill Burr’s Drop Dead Years are all hours of comedy about reckoning with mortality, and each in their own way is a lovely, absurd, painful depiction of someone staring into an abyss and choosing to laugh.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Which is a reminder that inflation is a policy choice, not some long and painful hike back from the proverbial abyss.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
For many, the relationship with tequila ended in their early 20s with promises made to some dormitory deity — often made of porcelain — to end a miserable night’s agony.—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
My wing-scarfing strategy was to plow through as many as possible before the agony set in, then survive the remainder without committing the day-ruining error of touching my eyes.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Any white bedding is a risk for spills or any other mess tracked into the bedroom by pets.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Aug. 2025
-
The timing of the sale brings a bookend to the decade that Shari Redstone spent cleaning up the very big mess made by her father in his waning years at the helm of his Viacom empire.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Yet, the measure was promptly shuffled into the House Rules Committee, where it could be buried to perdition.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
-
Appropriately for a fantasy of perdition suited to this nihilistic century, the logic of eternal punishment remains opaque.—
Elisa Gonzalez,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Nothing was achieved except more misery for the region at the hands of Hamas and its allies.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
-
The question of whether there is hunger is different from the question of who is responsible for the misery.—
Seth Mandel,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share