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 In either case, there’s a period of normalcy, followed by red flags and denial after which all hell clearly breaks loose. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Compulsory worship with frightening dogma, which could lead you equally plausibly to heaven or hell. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Lord knows, there are many reasons—funding, casting, development hell—that movies fail to get made. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Vivian Wilson’s latest modeling job comes with layered jewelry, a crimson veil and a supporting cast of women mythology put through hell. — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 23 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
  • Other passengers included André Breton, Victor Serge, and Claude Lévi-Strauss—all fleeing the inferno.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the inferno, the fire department said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • After the raid, his daughter struggled with recurring nightmares, the lawsuit said.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Recurring nightmares Juana Rodriguez attended the festival with her three-year-old son.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • The Misfits Complementing spring’s embrace of graphic havoc is an intriguing offness of fit, as seen at Jil Sander, Givenchy, and Lii.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Deleting a second has never previously been attempted and could create havoc in today’s digitally time-stamped world.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • The film’s musical score, by Damon Albarn of Blur, has a haunting Bowie-like party-on-the-abyss shimmer.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Her writing transports us to Mount Sinai, Transylvania, Africa, the Amazon rainforest, Antarctica, Yellowstone, and the deep ocean abyss.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of abyss
Noun
  • The minutes had passed so quickly for the rest of the world, but for the families waiting to learn whether their children were alive, the abrupt end of the gunfire wasn’t the end of their agony.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The daughters of burning witches were sometimes made to stand close to the pyre, being whipped by locals while watching their mothers die in agony.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • But the mess took a turn when the Guardians announced a slight change in the tickets for the game.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The entirety of the toppings tumble off the dog with the first bite, but the mess is worth it.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 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
  • Waiting for the Jets are the defending AFC champion Patriots and a stadium that has delivered far more misery than milestones.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • With Dunham as creator, showrunner and star, the original series followed a group of friends through the misery and dysfunction of their 20s in New York City.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hell

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hell

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