hades

noun

Definition of hadesnext
as in underworld

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 hades Persephone, goddess of spring and the fields, became the spouse of Hades, who ruled the underworld. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 Michael Lorenzen and Coors Field look like a match made in Hades. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 16 May 2026 In Absolute Wonder Woman, drawn by Hayden, who is also part of this artistic new wave, Diana Prince is raised in Hades by the sorceress Circe to be a witch, not on Paradise Island by caring Amazonians, and flies on a skeleton horse. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hades
  1. underworld
  2. netherworld
  3. inferno
  4. purgatory
  5. Sheol
Noun
  • Their videos work as a modern take on the narcocorridos – ballads about the trafficking underworld that drug kingpins used to praise themselves and communicate with each other, said security expert Alexei Chévez.
    — Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Blending crime fiction with social satire, the series follows Ray Carney, a furniture salesman who can’t help but be drawn into the criminal underworld of Harlem.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of underworld
Noun
  • Alistair Taylor’s reward for accompanying him into this teenage netherworld was to be given lunch at his current favorite city-center restaurant, the Peacock.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026
  • The rules of this netherworld announce themselves, early on, via a nondescript wall sign.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of netherworld
Noun
  • The inferno that follows, as the betrayer’s dragon sets fire to both armies and then Tumbleton itself, will be rendered with both practical flames and CGI.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Charming, impulsive, and incapable of leaving a wound alone, Rodney is the sibling most likely to turn a spark into an inferno.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Billions of dollars later, most organizations got pilot purgatory instead.
    — Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • That sense of purgatory is the saving grace of an otherwise painful watch.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of purgatory
Noun
  • The soul is the same one that ancient Egyptians called the ka, or that God promises the psalmist will be rescued from Sheol, or that lay dormant in the minds of so many contemporary American readers, waiting for the right sound to set it free.
    — Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Definition of Sheol

Browse Nearby Words

had done with
hades
had it in for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hades. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All