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
Trains aren’t running, many planes are delayed or canceled and a stretch of highway is closed because of sinkholes that — who knows? — might lead to a better kind of hell.
—
Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
The famous saying has it that hell is other people, but here, hell for other people is Grace (Jennifer Lawrence), a big-city author who has moved to the middle of nowhere to be close to the family of her husband Jackson (Robert Pattinson).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 May 2025
Whereas as most games in the series bounce between Mars-adjacent space stations, Earth, and various dimensions that constitute takes on heaven and hell, The Dark Ages is set in another realm, populated by humans at war with demonic forces.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025
Whether a dream or not, Devon’s definitely in her own personal hell.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
The famous saying has it that hell is other people, but here, hell for other people is Grace (Jennifer Lawrence), a big-city author who has moved to the middle of nowhere to be close to the family of her husband Jackson (Robert Pattinson).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 May 2025
Whereas as most games in the series bounce between Mars-adjacent space stations, Earth, and various dimensions that constitute takes on heaven and hell, The Dark Ages is set in another realm, populated by humans at war with demonic forces.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025
Whether a dream or not, Devon’s definitely in her own personal hell.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell
Noun
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Can Verdugo, known for intensity — if not a full-on internal inferno like Donaldson, at least a flame — have any semblance of such impact on this team?—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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Courtesy Andrea-Marie Stark Stark’s house is one of several that survived the inferno on her block, but its proximity to the flames meant everything inside was coated with a thick layer of soot.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC News,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Saving him and others is their work Pratt & Whitney union votes to approve new contract, end strike Private equity created a ‘nightmare’ in CT hospitals, staff say.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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Watching the men who trusted him to lead them home devoured by monsters or crushed by clashing rocks was not a fairytale, but a nightmare.—
Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Smoke follows a detective (Jurnee Smollett) and an arson investigator (Taron Egerton) who are trying to catch a pair of serial arsonists wreaking fiery havoc across the Pacific Northwest.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
28 May 2025
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Infusing the trenches with Allen and Hargrave should make for more havoc in one-on-one matchups.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
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She’s headed back into the abyss and that cycle of suffering and escape and return that’s moved and frustrated viewers across the years.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
27 May 2025
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Antisemitism, hatred and terrorism must be stopped, lest our civilization fall into the abyss.—
Diane Gensler,
Baltimore Sun,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Barking in agony, the fox scratches and claws in any attempt to free itself and get to safety.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
28 May 2025
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Michaela calmly explains that Jocelyn got botched plastic surgery that’s kept her in private agony for the last decade.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The teaser at the end of this week’s hour-long episode promises bonafide flagship mess: Obnoxious guests, police coming onboard, deckhand Kyle apparently hooking up with a guest.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
3 June 2025
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According to Tide’s fabric care scientist, Kim Romine, more concentrated liquid detergents won’t freeze all the way through, leaving you with a slippery mess.—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Appropriately for a fantasy of perdition suited to this nihilistic century, the logic of eternal punishment remains opaque.—
Elisa Gonzalez,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
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The perdition market did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment asking if an announcement like FanDuel's would follow.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In the studio, a bad idea can be put out of its misery within a few minutes.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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The Athletic reflects on their 2024-25 efforts, culminating in a 14th-place finish, that caused more misery than joy.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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