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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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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For rule-followers like me, the prankster types were a nightmare.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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Left-hander Reid Detmers, whose three-game nightmare stretch a month ago began with a game in Seattle, struck out two in a scoreless inning, including Mariners star Cal Raleigh.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
7 June 2025
Noun
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The adventurer turns out to be a wild champion of havoc who alienates friends and demolishes any social scene.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
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Suddenly, Nicky, who Chloe has erased from her life, is back in the picture and causing havoc as the police investigate the murder and zero in on Ethan, who had tensions with his father.—
Nina Metz Chicago Tribune,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
And if left unchecked, the legal abyss can grow ever wider.—
Amanda Taub,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
-
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
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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But chances are, this habit can snowball and become a cluttered mess.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2025
-
The mess, not the message, is what many Americans absorbed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Yet, the measure was promptly shuffled into the House Rules Committee, where it could be buried to perdition.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
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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
Noun
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In a season full of misery and a historic number of losses, there was plenty of reason to celebrate Colorado’s first walk-off win.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 June 2025
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Greta’s missed opportunity to understand the deep roots of this misery is another lesson lost to the world.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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