1
as in inferno
the place of punishment for the wicked after death
condemned to hell for their sins
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of hell
The title refers to an Islamic belief of a narrow path over hell that must be crossed to reach paradise, and the film slowly makes that image feel literal.
—
Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Once inside, Gaff attacked the 14- and 16-year-old girls, and for the next two and a half hours, put them through living hell as their mother slept in the basement.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Someone worth following through hell and back.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2026
There have been times when the isolation of rehab has felt like being reclused into her own personal pandemic hell, where the solitude or recovery has left her near starving for human connection.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hell
Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Once inside, Gaff attacked the 14- and 16-year-old girls, and for the next two and a half hours, put them through living hell as their mother slept in the basement.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Someone worth following through hell and back.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2026
There have been times when the isolation of rehab has felt like being reclused into her own personal pandemic hell, where the solitude or recovery has left her near starving for human connection.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell
Noun
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Video of firefighters fighting the inferno shows massive flames shooting out of the top windows onto the roof’s parapet.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
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The Sheriff’s Office had recused itself from the investigation days after the inferno.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2026
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Two days in, their romantic getaway became a nightmare.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The aim is for Abdul to cause havoc in the United States, the West Bank and Iran.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
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In the twentieth century, the same storms that made headlines in New York wreaked quieter havoc across the river.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
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The horrid image in the news of a column of smoke rising above the city of Tehran — an abyss of darkness against the gray sky — arrests my attention.—
Babak Rahimi,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This type of agony is always a detriment to mental health, even more so when someone is already predisposed to instability.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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Her story became the focus of almost every main news outlet around the country, and people watched in agony for two days as rescuers attempted to save the toddler.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That mess led to sacrifice flies by Christian Walker and Cam Smith, giving Houston a 2-0 lead.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
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There is no way Swalwell could have represented his constituents, much less run for higher office, while mired in this mess.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Misprisions of this kind were more likely to occur, the experts argued, in religious settings marked by the rigorous policing of strict ethical injunctions or an emphasis on particular states of mind as markers of grace or perdition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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The show is a propulsive hurricane of misery and cringe, from the violent incident that sets off this series of unfortunate events to the twists and horrors that unfold.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
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But putting all that effort toward something that’s not real weighs on him, and Isaac’s taut encapsulation of misery compliments a series that feeds on tension.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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