hells

noun

plural of hell
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

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 hells The Avici hell is the lowest and most terrible level of the eight hot hells of Buddhism, where those who’ve committed serious crimes (like parricide) must face constant suffering. — Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 Smith stays largely mum on the news of the day, be that Kirk’s killing, or ICE raids, or whatever hells await in the coming weeks. — Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hells
  1. nightmares
  2. messes
  3. horrors
  4. confusions
  5. agonies
  6. jumbles
  7. miseries
  8. havoc
Noun
  • Standard wide-field-of-view AR-HUDs have historically been engineering nightmares.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 July 2026
  • Victims who were injured in the shooting described panic attacks, nightmares and the fear that still follows them into classrooms, neighborhoods and even their own bedrooms.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
Definition of nightmares
Noun
  • Droves of shoppers just bought this over-door organizer that maximizes storage space without taking up a ton of room, and another lot of customers went after this lightweight cordless vacuum that doubles as a handheld for floor-to-ceiling messes.
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • Make sure to do this over the sink or outside to prevent messes!
    — Nicole Harris, Parents, 18 July 2026
Definition of messes
Noun
  • The horrors of uncertainty are translated into the language of manageable risk—risk that somebody, somewhere, has the responsibility and foresight to manage.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
  • The company’s early decades were marked by the tumult and horrors of World War II, which also contributed to the company’s international expansion.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 24 July 2026
Definition of horrors
Noun
  • 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
Definition of confusions
Noun
  • Sadly, in discouraging all the phantom agonies, FIFA inadvertently seems to have done away with the equally farcical phenomenon that is Magic Spray®.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026
  • The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.
    — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
Definition of agonies
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumbles
Noun
  • The sad thing is that the miseries return, but there is no other Garrincha available.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 May 2026
  • The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2026
Definition of miseries
Noun
  • Being asked to prove yourself to AI can play havoc on your confidence and ruin your chances of getting your foot in the door.
    — Colleen Batchelder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • That also plays havoc with his control over his web-shooting capabilities, both the old-school organic method and the tech version built for him by Tony Stark.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Definition of havoc

Browse Nearby Words

hell-raising
hells
helm
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Cite this Entry

“Hells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hells. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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