1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

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 Commentary and opinion Mosquitoes are making Los Angeles summers a living hell, argues columnist Robin Abcarian. — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Despite being shared with other characters, James' version of Silent Hill feels like his personal hell, one born of his twisted psyche. — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026 Traditional Chinese beliefs envisioned an afterlife that in many ways mirrored the world of the living, rather than the Christian or Islamic conception of heaven or hell as a person’s ultimate destination. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Is the morality fable at the end an allegory of purgatory or hell? — The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 Sep. 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
  • Four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the inferno, the fire department said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The crew use three tiers of flame bars behind Howell to spark the inferno that will snake through prom, fueled by the growing intensity of Carrie’s powers.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • The exhibition puts designer Pierre-Olivier Persin’s bust of the creature alongside the syringes, vials and other medical paraphernalia from the mysterious Substance kit that sets the movie’s nightmare in motion.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Watching a cheesy sitcom opening turn into a bloody field day for a time-traveling serial killer or unedited footage of a bear turn into a pharmaceutical nightmare is the ultimate expression of that unapologetic commitment to keeping us on our toes.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • In Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Corey Heteherman’s system, everything starts with creating havoc up front.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The secondary is experienced and has shown a knack for causing havoc against opposing quarterbacks.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • Anything less and the balance of the Heat’s offseason — and future — tilts toward an abyss.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Some misjudge its power and are swept away, their final moments lost in the churning abyss.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of abyss
Noun
  • There are few harsher agonies than waiting, and throughout the great expanse of the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, two riders felt that in very different ways.
    — Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But for Roma, the agony for his missing son did not end that day.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Driver is the unreliable but well-intentioned brother/uncle who gets them into this sordid mess.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2026
  • An aluminum core helps distribute heat evenly, while drip-free pouring rims help keep messes contained.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of mess
Noun
  • The flames of perdition, fueled by guilt, estrangement, and repression, lap at society’s sham institutions and flimsy fronts of civility.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • On one page, tiny, antlike sinners tumbled down a cliff toward perdition.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of perdition
Noun
  • His Lamb goes from a brash Yorkshire showman to a callous profiteer of human vice and misery, his cheeky smile becoming a vicious snarl.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Sunday’s results, coupled with the trouncing in Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month, heap misery on an already beleaguered Merz.
    — Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of misery

Phrases Containing hell

Browse Nearby Words

heliports
hell
hellacious
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hell

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hell

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 argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

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 the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All