1
as in inferno
the place of punishment for the wicked after death
condemned to hell for their sins
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hell
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
Season two saw Valerie cast in an HBO project about the sitcom writer who made her life hell in season one, earning widespread acclaim professionally even as her personal life was falling apart.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
There’s more pressing current affairs to attend to right now, and hell, there’s a new Lorde album to bop to.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 June 2025
To put it bluntly, all fashion hell broke loose and seemed to unite the internet in ways that few things do these days.
—Leah Bourne, Glamour, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
Season two saw Valerie cast in an HBO project about the sitcom writer who made her life hell in season one, earning widespread acclaim professionally even as her personal life was falling apart.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
There’s more pressing current affairs to attend to right now, and hell, there’s a new Lorde album to bop to.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 June 2025
To put it bluntly, all fashion hell broke loose and seemed to unite the internet in ways that few things do these days.
—Leah Bourne, Glamour, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell
Noun
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Climate change is a major contributor, as drought and rising global temperatures make the infernos bigger, faster and harder to stop.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
3 July 2025
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And days before the Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah in March 2022, the Houthi rebels fired a missile at an oil storage facility in the Saudi city and an inferno of fire and smoke filled the skyline.—
Dina Esfandiary,
Time,
1 July 2025
Noun
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What follows is a floor-by-floor descent into madness as Bobby battles bloodthirsty perverts, demonic flash mobs, and hallucinogenic suburban nightmares, all while trying to figure out if he’s meant to be the hero… or just the last guy standing.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
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However, experts are sounding the alarm on one type of photo that could turn a dream vacation into a travel nightmare.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Meanwhile, Joseph writhes in the agony of his own newfound girl craziness (and cleavage obsession).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
7 July 2025
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Williams was never offered any other clear pathway to finding relief—even as the agony from her fibroids was getting worse.—
Kayla Greaves,
SELF,
3 July 2025
Noun
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Even before the credits start to unspool, Star Wars fashion, director Richard Lester lets fly with a series of slapstick sight gags that pile disaster on disaster until only Superman himself can untangle the mess.—
Arthur Knight,
HollywoodReporter,
7 July 2025
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The Doheny Longboard Surfing Association also gathers in the early-morning hours at the Dana Point beach to clean up the crowd’s mess.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
4 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Fortune said Thursday that the Obama administration gave Haitians temporary protective status after an earthquake devastated Haiti, multiplying the island’s many miseries.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
3 July 2025
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The season ends with so many of the characters on the verge of a path to proper fulfillment; why prolong their misery?—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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