1
as in inferno
the place of punishment for the wicked after death
condemned to hell for their sins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
picking cotton under the hot summer sun was hell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in havoc
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 hell
What fresh hell will Wednesday’s Grandmama (the Absolutely Fabulous Joanna Lumley) raise at Nevermore?
—
Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 July 2025
The game was reportedly scheduled to launch in 2023, before being rebooted and entering development hell, although comments from Spencer in 2024 suggested the game was still on track for a release.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Any team that is stuck in second-apron hell when those sorts of opportunities arise is, for all intents and purposes, disqualified from participation.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 30 June 2025
The story may have depended on the horror of juxtaposing kids’ games with life-and-death consequences to convey how being in debt can be a living hell.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Andy Swift, TVLine, 9 July 2025
The game was reportedly scheduled to launch in 2023, before being rebooted and entering development hell, although comments from Spencer in 2024 suggested the game was still on track for a release.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Any team that is stuck in second-apron hell when those sorts of opportunities arise is, for all intents and purposes, disqualified from participation.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 30 June 2025
The story may have depended on the horror of juxtaposing kids’ games with life-and-death consequences to convey how being in debt can be a living hell.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell
Noun
-
The issue was brought to his attention by reporting from The Bee and other news outlets highlighting a stark difference between state and federal law concerning who can be licensed to work with high-grade explosives like those that sparked an inferno in Esparto on July 1.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
17 July 2025
-
Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro told The Times in April that evidence including videos and data from the lines suggests the possibility that the idle equipment was reenergized through a phenomenon called induction and sparked the inferno.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
On top of the bathroom problems, the man says the kitchen is also a nightmare thanks to Jerry and Daisy, who leave dirty dishes around.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
27 July 2025
-
An ordinary evening rush hour turned into a nightmare for motorists crossing the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 2007.—
Nick Woltman,
Twin Cities,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
The bacteria causing havoc for summer swimmers include E.coli and Enterococcus — nasty germs often found in the feces of people and animals.—
Shreya Srinivasan,
NBC news,
3 July 2025
-
Cilic was never in the contest because of a foot blister that was causing havoc with pain and movement, something that was imperative against the balletic Federer.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
Longtime White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf fell into the same trap and his team is still trying to crawl out of the abyss.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 July 2025
-
The continuity of memory did not measure the abyss between a toddler’s body and a woman’s.—
Rebecca Solnit
May 29,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
The point isn’t just to resolve in-the-moment agony.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
16 July 2025
-
Shortly before halftime, Musiala collided with Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG penalty area and went down in agony clutching his left ankle, which appeared to be twisted at an unnatural angle.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
Against this corporate financial quagmire, Wintour hasn’t made a complete mess of Vogue from a purely performance metric.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
This is a mess and the mess – not the whistleblowing – is endangering your job and your customer’s well-being.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
Yet, the measure was promptly shuffled into the House Rules Committee, where it could be buried to perdition.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
-
Appropriately for a fantasy of perdition suited to this nihilistic century, the logic of eternal punishment remains opaque.—
Elisa Gonzalez,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That simplistic assessment would not account for the first student’s misery or the second child’s enjoyment.—
Iddo Gefen,
Twin Cities,
16 July 2025
-
Forced to comply with stereotypical African-American misery, Burnett works best outside Hollywood formula.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share