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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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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

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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

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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 The future that Love Machines sketches is a dehumanized hell. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 For our two main characters, their version of hell is kind of awesome in some ways. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Cruz is going to take them all downnnn Babat is terrifying as all hell! — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 National Treasure 3 has been long discussed but remained in development hell for almost two full decades. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 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
  • 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
  • An arson suspect’s rallying cry sparks furor A 30-year-old forklift driver is accused of livestreaming the massive Kimberly-Clark warehouse blaze in Ontario, turning a $500-million toilet paper inferno into a viral protest over wages and capitalism.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • That led to the rest of the tour’s openers and even Sheeran’s backing band for the tour dropping off the tour in solidarity with Macklemore — all of which became a huge news story and PR nightmare for the usually very un-controversial Sheeran.
    — Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The Texans are supposed to be elite on the defensive side of the ball, but having to face Allen and then Burrow will give any defensive coordinator nightmares.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • One way to ensure is to prepare for the amount of havoc the Red Wolves will attempt to generate with a creative defensive scheme.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The rain was incessant and the wind was playing havoc on the almost invisible race course.
    — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • There is still an abyss in my gut, from Halloween night 1959 – the night, according to the Mississippi River lore, when there arose the great Tiger Stadium roar that has not ceased since.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The Dolphins and their fans have been wandering a quarter century in football abyss, in national irrelevance, and wonder how the franchise of the Perfect Season, of Don Shula and Dan Marino, could get this way.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 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
  • One person may be disappointed by your choice, but overextending yourself could create a bigger mess.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Styptic pencils, made with the same fast-acting aluminum sulfate, are reusable and packaged with a protective cap to prevent mess.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of mess
Noun
  • On one page, tiny, antlike sinners tumbled down a cliff toward perdition.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of perdition
Noun
  • Feverish with feeling, the women scream, wail and sob, each one experiencing her misery multiply in real time as the remaining two look on in disdain.
    — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Giannoulias hasn’t taken a dime from AIPAC — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — in this campaign, but that didn’t stop the mayor from attempting to tie Giannoulias to the misery in the Middle East.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hell

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hell

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