noun
Meaning 1
A place or situation resembling Hell.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
inferno
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.
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General-American: /ɪnˈfɝnoʊ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nəʊ
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CMU ARPABET: IH2 N F ER1 N OW2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A large fire; a conflagration.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The inferno ripped through the forest, destroying anything in its path.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
(Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment- John Milton-Dr. Johnson
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Hurl'd headlong...To bottomless perdition, there to dwell
- a demon from the depths of the pit
- Hell is paved with good intentions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Hell, perdition, infernal region, nether region, pit
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: imaginary place, mythical place, fictitious place
Narrower terms: Gehenna, Tartarus, hellfire, red region
noun
Meaning 4
a very intense and uncontrolled fire
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: conflagration
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fire
Narrower terms: wildfire
noun
Meaning 5
any place of pain and turmoil;
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the hell of battle
- the inferno of the engine room
- when you're alone Christmas is the pits
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hell, hell on earth, hellhole, snake pit, the pits
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: region, part
History
Etymology
From Italian inferno (“hell”), from Latin infernus (“of the lower regions”), inferna (“the lower regions”); see infernal. The meaning "big fire" came as a figurative use from the traditional idea of hellfire.
Across languages
Translations
55 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: جَحِيم (jaḥīm) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Arabic: جَهَنَّم (jahannam) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Bashkir: тамуҡ (tamuq) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Bashkir: йәһәннәм (yəhənnəm) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Bulgarian: ад (ad) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Bulgarian: пъкъл (pǎkǎl) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Chinese Mandarin: 地獄 /地狱 (dìyù) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Danish: inferno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Finnish: pätsi — place or situation resembling Hell
- Finnish: helvetti — place or situation resembling Hell
- Finnish: horna — place or situation resembling Hell
- Finnish: inferno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Finnish: tulihelvetti — place or situation resembling Hell
- French: enfer — place or situation resembling Hell
- German: Hölle — place or situation resembling Hell
- German: Inferno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Greek: κόλαση (kólasi) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Hebrew: תֹּפֶת (tófet) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Italian: inferno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Japanese: 地獄 (jigoku) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Korean: 지옥 (jiok) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Portuguese: inferno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Russian: ад (ad) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Russian: пе́кло (péklo) — place or situation resembling Hell
- Spanish: infierno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Swedish: inferno — place or situation resembling Hell
- Vietnamese: địa ngục — place or situation resembling Hell
- Arabic: جَحِيم (jaḥīm) — large fire
- Arabic: سَعِير (saʕīr) — large fire
- Catalan: infern — large fire
- Catalan: foc gran — large fire
- Danish: inferno — large fire
- Dutch: vuurzee — large fire
- Dutch: inferno — large fire
- Finnish: pätsi — large fire
- Finnish: liekkimeri — large fire
- Finnish: horna — large fire
- French: incendie — large fire
- French: brasier — large fire
- Hebrew: תֹּפֶת (tófet) — large fire
- Italian: inferno — large fire
- Italian: inferno di fiamme — large fire
- Italian: fuogo grande — large fire
- Japanese: 業火 (gōka) — large fire
- Japanese: 猛火 (mōka) — large fire
- Latin: incendium — large fire
- Latin: ignis grandis — large fire
- Māori: toronga — large fire
- Māori: ahi nui whakaharahara — large fire
- Norwegian Bokmål: inferno — large fire
- Norwegian Nynorsk: inferno — large fire
- Portuguese: inferno — large fire
- Portuguese: fogo grande — large fire
- Spanish: infierno — large fire
- Spanish: fuego grande — large fire
Real reading context