underworld

noun

ˈən-dər-ˌwərld How to pronounce underworld (audio)
Definition of underworldnext
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

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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 Miles eventually gets pulled into the local chapter of the Jeremiah Wylkes Society, whose mission is to investigate its 19th-century namesake’s contention that there is a hidden entrance to a spectacular underworld nearby. — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026 Fortunately, Dusse lightens the lawyer’s spiral into his mobster client’s dark underworld with wry humor and pointed skewering of both the wellness industry and the criminal legal profession. — The Know, Denver Post, 5 July 2026 Del Toro remains one of Hollywood’s most imaginative visual entertainers, and the prospect of visiting his long-dormant underworld later in 2026 promises not just fresh nostalgia but maybe even total immersion. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 June 2026 The company’s downfall came not from its ties to the Costa Rican underworld but from Pughsley and the others’ failure to pay taxes. — Keith O’Brien, New Yorker, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for underworld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underworld
  1. abyss
  2. netherworld
  3. depths
  4. demimonde
Noun
  • This week, Gracie Abrams pens a tearjerker on mother-daughter relationships, Steve Lacy escapes the abyss of a breakup on a colossal double track, and Beabadoobee contemplates risk and reward on a fuzzy new single.
    — Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026
  • As happened four years ago, Argentina look into the abyss and see what no one else sees.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of abyss
Noun
  • Alistair Taylor’s reward for accompanying him into this teenage netherworld was to be given lunch at his current favorite city-center restaurant, the Peacock.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026
  • The rules of this netherworld announce themselves, early on, via a nondescript wall sign.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of netherworld
Noun
  • Robb is set to play Smith’s young partner in the film as the two detectives enter the depths of a supermax prison to solve a mysterious murder.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 21 July 2026
  • Besides the currents and the depths, people can catch a foot between the rocks, snag their clothes on a branch or lose their balance on slippery algae.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of depths
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of demimonde

Browse Nearby Words

underwhelms
underworld
underworlds
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Cite this Entry

“Underworld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underworld. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of underworld for Spanish Speakers

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