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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underworld
The titular vampire gang has formed a band, and when its members start to shred, the stage sinks down to create a mosh pit—a hellish underworld into which victims later drop.
—
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
There, he gradually gets caught up in the criminal underworld that hijacked the country’s privatization following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
Most prior visits had morphed into extended trips into a terrifying medical underworld — to a purgatory known as emergency department boarding.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Major gallerists and curators eventually became curious about this irrepressibly cool little underworld.
—Paula Aceves, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underworld
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
There, he gradually gets caught up in the criminal underworld that hijacked the country’s privatization following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
Most prior visits had morphed into extended trips into a terrifying medical underworld — to a purgatory known as emergency department boarding.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Major gallerists and curators eventually became curious about this irrepressibly cool little underworld.
—Paula Aceves, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underworld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underworld
Noun
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The rescue team was able to pump enough water out of the system for four miners to crawl out of the muddy abyss on Saturday, authorities said.—
Aicha El Hammar Castano,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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Never before has the abyss so desperately needed a makeover.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Noun
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The rules of this netherworld announce themselves, early on, via a nondescript wall sign.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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Now, in an age of instant communications, their Cold War counterparts could nonetheless disappear into a covert netherworld, loosening Washington’s controls and freeing them to plot coups, mobilize armies, and install governments.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Plunging into your emotional depths feels supportive today.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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That escape also reveals the profound depths of his narcissism.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Noun
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This debacle plunges the Marvins into Sydney’s criminal demimonde, where Susi is part of an organization headquartered in an amusement park and led by another brother-sister duo, this one terrifyingly unhinged.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Mar. 2026
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Often considered the most scathing film ever made about the movie industry, The Day of the Locust is an adaptation of Nathanael West’s celebrated novel about a down-and-out artist turned set painter and the Los Angeles demimonde during the Great Depression.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underworld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underworld. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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