hell

noun

ˈhel How to pronounce hell (audio)
Definition of hellnext
1
as in inferno
the place of punishment for the wicked after death condemned to hell for their sins

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2
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness picking cotton under the hot summer sun was hell

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3
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order all hell broke loose when the jury's verdict was announced

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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 When the typewriter was first invented, writers kicked hell and said, The thing is writing. — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 The cast, of course, knew that experience of family as heaven, hell and somewhere in between. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 Flying straight from the merry Riverlands into the somber halls of Dragonstone is one hell of a comedown, but Daemon never struggles to access his dark side. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026 Avery met his wife Sally Michael–a hell of an artist in her own right–in Cape Ann and the couple honeymooned there in 1926 before moving to New York and meeting Gottlieb and Rothko. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell
  1. inferno
  2. nightmare
  3. havoc
  4. abyss
  5. agony
  6. mess
  7. perdition
  8. misery
Noun
  • Six days later, powerful Santa Ana winds kicked up smoldering embers that sparked one of Los Angeles’ most devastating infernos.
    — Char Miller, Time, 30 June 2026
  • But Grand Junction’s cloudless blue sky gave no hint of the inferno that continued to ravage the Colorado-Utah border less than an hour away.
    — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Now imagine all their parents having nightmares that this was their university experience.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • From dream home to disaster But faster than a rushing river, that dream became a nightmare when disastrous flooding hit Kerr County last summer.
    — Bo Evans, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • The beloved southern elephant seal, Neil the Seal, is back in Tasmania, causing havoc yet again and garnering fans through his antics.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Those same issues have ships and planes on high alert in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflict across the region is causing havoc for civilian applications like ride-hailing and food delivery.
    — Mariam Sorond, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • This genius gap filler blocks that area and prevents clutter from accumulating in the hard-to-reach abyss.
    — Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • While the Kings have plenty on the flank after the February addition of Artemi Panarin, Kuzmenko was a positive contributor when healthy and trusted last season, while their needs in the middle are less of a hole and more of an abyss.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 28 June 2026
Definition of abyss
Noun
  • Rojas said the earthquakes have caused agony for Venezuelan players, even those who didn’t lose family or friends.
    — Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026
  • There were the two calls in September, one about a detainee who lay on the floor holding his stomach in agony and unable to speak after swallowing an unknown object.
    — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • The coach inherited a mess and wiped the slate clean with 40-plus transfers.
    — Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • Melting suet turns rancid fast and creates a mess of bird plumage.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
Definition of mess
Noun
  • Under cover of awkward teen dancing, the pair slipped into the library, riffled through the card catalog, and discovered, in addition to Soul on Ice, eight other volumes in PONY-U perdition.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • Sloth, after all, is a deadly sin, and it was often seen as the first step on the slippery slope to perdition.
    — JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Definition of perdition
Noun
  • Nobody, save biblical Job, has had more misery hurled at them.
    — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Salvador Perez added to Sanchez's misery with his 11th home run in the second.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
Definition of misery

Phrases Containing hell

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heliports
hell
hellacious
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Cite this Entry

“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hell

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hell

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