1
as in nightmares
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
picking cotton under the hot summer sun was hell
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in messes
a state in which everything is out of order
all hell broke loose when the jury's verdict was announced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hells
The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.
—
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
All’s well that metal-as-hells well.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
All’s well that metal-as-hells well.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hells
Noun
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Use of some fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, has also been linked with a higher risk of nightmares.—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
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The medication is also sometimes prescribed for nightmares and other sleep disturbances caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the AP.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Regularly wiping down all surfaces, including countertops, the stovetop, backsplash, walls, cabinets, and any other surfaces, can help eliminate any food splatters, residual grease, or other messes that could be contributing to a less-than-fresh-smelling space.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
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Its hot water function makes quick work of sticky messes on the floor (a godsend in my house, since my kids have taken to tipping plates with maple syrup onto the floor) and the steam cleaning setting easily clears deeper stains and eliminates odors.—
Editors of Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This tale of a plausible viral apocalypse makes the case that true horrors can lurk just outside our view — and possibly within us all.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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Pritam witnessed firsthand the horrors of Partition—communal riots forced her to migrate to India from Pakistan in 1947 with nothing but her two small children and a red shawl.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Before the Lost Weekend, John and Yoko had their New York Year — turning their personal confusions into beautifully vivid moments of rage and pain.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Falling support in Gaza Palestinian public pressure on Hamas has risen as the miseries of war have mounted.—
Mkhaimar Abusada,
The Conversation,
5 Oct. 2025
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But current virus variants continue to spread burning throats, fevers and other miseries.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Texas Tech started slow in Manhattan, but the dam eventually broke due to Tech’s havoc-wreaking defense.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The real reason is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible, or at least that’s what we’re given to believe from the way the hostess swans about while deftly manipulating dozens of puppet strings simultaneously.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hells. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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