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 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 Then Larry gets dropped in, and all hell breaks loose. — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 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
  • The infernos destroyed buildings and forests alike, where the epic heat wave in Europe has hit record levels in many parts of the bloc.
    — Simon Constable, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026
  • Through the engine’s windows, the towering inferno can be seen raging through the treeline just a few feet away from the unmoving train, the world around them rendered completely orange.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Cryptocurrency firms are facing a nightmare scenario in the Senate, where the shaky state of the industry’s top priority is threatening its plans to unleash midterm campaign cash against its enemies.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
  • Victims who were injured in the shooting described panic attacks, nightmares and the fear that still follows them into classrooms, neighborhoods and even their own bedrooms.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • Being asked to prove yourself to AI can play havoc on your confidence and ruin your chances of getting your foot in the door.
    — Colleen Batchelder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • That also plays havoc with his control over his web-shooting capabilities, both the old-school organic method and the tech version built for him by Tony Stark.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • Six young women — hair fashionably bobbed, shins covered by knee-high socks — posed in dark, modest swimming suits in the tiled abyss of an empty swimming pool.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • This week, Gracie Abrams pens a tearjerker on mother-daughter relationships, Steve Lacy escapes the abyss of a breakup on a colossal double track, and Beabadoobee contemplates risk and reward on a fuzzy new single.
    — Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026
Definition of abyss
Noun
  • Beyond the torn tissue itself, internal bleeding and swelling can intensify the agony.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 2026
  • Negron shared her agony over losing her brother on social media.
    — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • That’s because parts of the flooding area fall under the jurisdictions of Kansas City, Jackson County and the state transportation department — and each says the others are responsible for addressing the mess.
    — Zuri Primos July 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
  • For stubborn messes, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it directly to the area.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 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
  • Little overnight relief Exacerbating the misery will be the lack of cooling temperatures overnight.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Smith Galer has much to say against the case for putting languages out of their misery, but her focus is on a point with which even the most unsentimental can surely sympathize.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 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 31 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hell

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hell

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