Phrase guide

hornets' nest

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A nest of hornets.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: literal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An unpleasant or controversial situation likely to be exacerbated by outside involvement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

habitation for wasps or hornets

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wasp's nest, wasps' nest, hornet's nest

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: nidus

4

noun

Meaning 4

a highly contentious or hazardous situation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • talk of invading Iraq stirred up a political hornets' nest

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hornet's nest

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: situation

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: herhiläispesä — a hornets' nest
  • German: Hornissennest — a hornets' nest
  • Slovene: osir — a hornets' nest
  • Welsh: nyth cacwn — a hornets' nest
  • Arabic: عش الدبابير — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 馬蜂窩 /马蜂窝 (mǎfēngwō) — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Dutch: wespennest — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Finnish: ampiaispesä — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • German: Wespennest — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Hungarian: darázsfészek — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Italian: ginepraio — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Russian: оси́ное гнездо́ (osínoje gnezdó) — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Serbo-Croatian: osinje gnijezdo — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Spanish: nido de avispas — an unpleasant or controversial situation
  • Welsh: nyth cacwn — an unpleasant or controversial situation