What does "hell" mean?
A place or situation of great suffering in life.
Hell
/hɛl/ adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A place or situation of great suffering in life.
- Grammar: hell is listed as adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: hades, inferno, netherworld, underworld.
- Useful contrasts: avalon, bliss, calm expression.
- Usage evidence: The English poet Percy Shelley went so far as to call hell a city much like London.
How to use "hell"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hell" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hell" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hell" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hell" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hell" is acting as adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hades" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hell", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A place or situation of great suffering in life. countable, excessive, figuratively
"My new boss is making my job a hell."
- 2 noisy and unrestrained mischief wordnet
- 3 A place for gambling. countable
"Here’s five-and-twenty for you. Don’t be losing it at the hells now."
- 4 (religion) the world of the dead wordnet
- 5 An extremely hot place. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"You don’t have a snowball's chance in hell."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 (Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment wordnet
- 7 Used as an intensifier in phrases grammatically requiring a noun. countable, sometimes, uncountable, vulgar
"She's got her arms down to her side, defiant. But just for the hell of it, she leans into him, wraps her arms around his neck, puts her head on his shoulder, and hangs on tight."
- 8 a cause of difficulty and suffering wordnet
- 9 A place into which a tailor throws shreds, or a printer discards broken type. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"This sturdy Squire, he had, as well As the bold Trojan Knight, seen Hell."
- 10 any place of pain and turmoil wordnet
- 11 In certain games of chase, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention. countable, uncountable
- 12 Something extremely painful or harmful (to) colloquial, countable, uncountable, usually, with-on
"That steep staircase is hell on my knees."
Verb
- 1 To make hellish; to place (someone) in hell; to make (a place) into a hell. colloquial, sometimes, vulgar
- 2 To add luster to; to burnish (silver or gold). colloquial, rare, sometimes, vulgar
"To hell gold or gilt workː take two ounces of tartar, two ounces of sulfur.. and it will give it a fine luster."
- 3 To pour. colloquial, rare, sometimes, vulgar
"18th century, Josiah Relph, The Harvest; or Bashful Shepherd Gosh, the sickle went into me handː Down hell'd the bluid."
- 4 To hurry, rush. colloquial, sometimes, vulgar
"I had already lost thirteen points, all because she had to come helling in there at twelve, worrying me about that letter."
- 5 To move quickly and loudly; to raise hell as part of motion. colloquial, intransitive, sometimes, vulgar
"He was helling down the road with his radio blaring."
Adverb
- 1 Alternative form of the hell or like hell. alt-of, alternative, colloquial, not-comparable, postpositional, sometimes, vulgar
"- Oh, aren't they sweet?"
- 2 Very; used to emphasize strongly. Australia, New-Zealand, colloquial, not-comparable, sometimes, vulgar
"That was hell good!"
Intj
- 1 Used to express discontent, unhappiness, or anger. colloquial, sometimes, vulgar
"Oh, hell! I got another parking ticket."
- 2 Used to emphasize. colloquial, idiomatic, sometimes, vulgar
"Hell yeah!"
- 3 Used to introduce an intensified statement following an understated one; nay; not only that, but. colloquial, sometimes, vulgar
"Do it, or, rest assured, there will be no more Middle Eastern crisis – hell, there will be no more Middle East!"
Proper Noun
- 1 A place of torment where some or all sinners are believed to go after death and evil spirits are believed to be. uncountable
"May you rot in hell!"
- 2 Alternative spelling of Hel. alt-of, alternative
- 3 Alternative form of Hela. alt-of, alternative
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of hell. alt-of
"In ancient times, Turfan was called Huochou, or Fire City, which was not inappropriate. Turfan is located in the lowest depression in Asia, just a notch above Hell."
- 5 Any of various places so named.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Any of various places so named.; A village in Stjørdal municipality, Trøndelag, Norway; was the administrative center of Lånke municipality, which existed until 1962.
"Officially the Nordland Railway begins at Hell, but popularly the whole route north of Trondheim is so called."
Example
"The English poet Percy Shelley went so far as to call hell a city much like London."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hell"?
Common synonyms include: hades, inferno, netherworld, underworld, abaddon, abyss.
How do you use "hell" in a sentence?
The English poet Percy Shelley went so far as to call hell a city much like London.
How do you pronounce "hell"?
Pronounced /hɛl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English helle, from Old English hell, from Proto-West Germanic *hallju, from Proto-Germanic *haljō (“concealed place, netherworld”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, conceal, save”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hälle (“hell”), West Frisian hel (“hell”), Dutch hel (“hell”), German Low German Hell (“hell”), German Hölle (“hell”), Norwegian helvete (“hell”), Icelandic hel (“the abode of the dead, death”). Also related to the Hel of Germanic mythology. See also hele.
Etymology 2
From German hellen (“to brighten, burnish”). Related to Dutch hel (“clear, bright”) and German hell (“clear, bright”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English hellen, from Old Norse hella (“to pour”), from Proto-Germanic *halþijaną (“to incline, tip; to pour out, empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to lean, incline”). Cognate with Icelandic hella (“to pour”), Norwegian helle (“to pour”), Swedish hälla (“to pour”). See also English hield.