hellhole

noun

hell·​hole ˈhel-ˌhōl How to pronounce hellhole (audio)
Synonyms of hellholenext
: a place of extreme misery or squalor

Synonyms of hellhole

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Examples of hellhole in a Sentence

The factory is a hellhole. his first apartment was a hellhole in an unsafe neighborhood
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
She was immediately put on the next plane back to her Third World hellhole. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2025 Max believes that the exit out of this hellhole will be in the memory of the moment Henry trapped your mind. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2025 Crimea and the Donbas are economic hellholes and huge drains on Russian resources. — Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2016 Who wants to work to separate family members from each other or put people in a hellhole in the Everglades? — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hellhole

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hellhole was in 1850

Rhymes for hellhole

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Browse Nearby Words

hellgrammite
hellhole
hellhound
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Cite this Entry

“Hellhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hellhole. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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