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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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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 For six years and five seasons, Netflix’s treasure-hunting drama Outer Banks has put its North Carolina teens through absolute hell just to keep viewers hooked. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 Desperate to believe his life is about to change, Tommy steals Wayne’s car and begins driving his band from Kansas City to Los Angeles, hell bent on getting there in three days. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026 Even in states that have an early season, some hunters completely avoid the lush hell of September woods and the corresponding mosquitoes, black flies and Indian summer heat. — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026 Several of his Hollywood projects in recent years haven’t panned out or remain in development hell. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 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
  • 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
  • Hiding underneath a desk in a classroom was an 8-foot python, which fire officials say started the inferno.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Game-planning for this pass rush will be nightmare fuel for opposing offenses.
    — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • In the weeks after the earthquakes, recurring nightmares plagued Marquina.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • So far, Bailey has shown blazing speed off the edge and an ability to create havoc in the backfield.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Although not a direct hit, Lala dumped nearly 3 feet of rain on the Big Island, bringing widespread havoc.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 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
  • Plus, don’t miss out on handy finds like this handheld vacuum that makes quick work of small messes in tight spaces and an insulated Yeti tumbler that keeps water cold all day long.
    — Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026
  • One of Amy’s charges is a mess of a young mother who has had all three of her children taken away from her by the state.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 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
  • Illinoisans should demand state investments that serve struggling communities, instead of needlessly expanding the misery of our prison system.
    — Joan Steffen, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • At one point, a man placed a hand on Bibendum’s shoulder and led him offstage, as if to be put out of his misery.
    — Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 7 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hell

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hell

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