hades

noun

Definition of hadesnext
as in underworld

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 hades Persephone, goddess of spring and the fields, became the spouse of Hades, who ruled the underworld. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 Michael Lorenzen and Coors Field look like a match made in Hades. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 16 May 2026 In Absolute Wonder Woman, drawn by Hayden, who is also part of this artistic new wave, Diana Prince is raised in Hades by the sorceress Circe to be a witch, not on Paradise Island by caring Amazonians, and flies on a skeleton horse. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hades
  1. underworld
  2. netherworld
  3. inferno
  4. purgatory
  5. Sheol
Noun
  • Dementia related to untreated syphilis left him incapable of resuming his position atop the country’s criminal underworld.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The show revolved around Crockett and Tubbs, two undercover detectives infiltrating South Florida’s criminal underworld.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of underworld
Noun
  • And with most of the original cast now long gone, the latest sequel often feels as cursed as that treacherous netherworld.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Further, in other words, doesn’t just have to be a foggy, dim netherworld.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of netherworld
Noun
  • The chips were made from trees killed in the 2020 Castle fire, an inferno that left thousands of acres of standing dead trunks.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In 1994, a raging inferno erupted at a home in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • His visits to his son’s tomb are accompanied by ghosts stuck in the bardo, or purgatory, who tell their own life stories and encourage both Willie and the President to move on.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Westlock Village emerged from development purgatory to apply for building permits in late September, reviving a 4-year-old plan to bring 256 homes to the corner of State Street and Ulmer Lane in West Boise.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of purgatory
Noun
  • The soul is the same one that ancient Egyptians called the ka, or that God promises the psalmist will be rescued from Sheol, or that lay dormant in the minds of so many contemporary American readers, waiting for the right sound to set it free.
    — Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Definition of Sheol

Browse Nearby Words

had done with
hades
had it in for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hades. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All