as in abyss
a social sphere that exists outside of the mainstream a magazine article taking an insightful look at the underworld inhabited by street people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 underworld Instead of this underworld, niche product, it’s becoming institutionalized. Kim Velsey, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2025 The sequel to 2021's Furioza brings us back into the dark and unsettling Polish underworld, as a young scumbag gets stuck under the thumb of the police and has to infiltrate a notorious prison as an informant. PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2025 From small-town boy to gang leader Bishnoi’s story didn’t begin in the slums of the criminal underworld. Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025 In the shadowy underworld of soil, tiny plastic particles are lurking like molecular saboteurs. Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for underworld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underworld
Noun
  • Sor Juana’s verses confirm that venturing into the dating pool is always like stepping into a dark abyss.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • This version of our doomed protagonist is introduced exiting a pond, with stones dropping from her dripping-wet dress — the abyss-adjacent qualities are already in full bloom.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Nicole finds herself in an all too familiar place for those who have experienced the early phase of young-onset neurological disease, a netherworld between acceptance and denial.
    Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • The other two-thirds are on a scale of anxiously hopeful to beyond desperate -- an amorphous netherworld of doubt that, yes, includes the Miami Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa, or should.
    Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Nutrient-rich agricultural runoff and sewage cause huge algal blooms, and when these algae die and sink, bacteria bloom in turn, consuming so much oxygen that few other organisms survive at lower depths.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
  • But as Maud's God begins to talk back, and her desperate pleas for divine intervention send her into fits of orgasmic fervor and desperate carnality, Glass hints at the depths of mania powering the nurse's dedication.
    Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One thing was certain: Per its title, it was set in the demimonde of the galaxy far, far away, among its scoundrels, and smugglers, and bounty hunters and assorted other criminals.
    Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
    Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Underworld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underworld. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on underworld

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!