noun / interjection
hell
HEL/hel/
An imagined afterlife realm of punishment and suffering.
The illustration portrays hell as a shadowy cavern where souls suffer.
Etymology
Old English hel named both the realm of the dead and a place of torment for the wicked. The selected meaning preserves its specifically punitive afterlife sense.
In context
hell is not a place hell is eternal suffering we were talking about with the guys today
More examples
- The sermon describes hell as a place of eternal punishment.
- He doubts that anyone goes to hell after death.
- The novel sends its cruelest character to hell.
Forms
hell · hells
hellish adjective — Like hell; extremely unpleasant or painful.
Similar words
- underworld
- A realm of the dead, not necessarily involving punishment.
- inferno
- Emphasizes hell's imagined fire; also commonly means a destructive blaze.