1
as in nightmares
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
picking cotton under the hot summer sun was hell
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in messes
a state in which everything is out of order
all hell broke loose when the jury's verdict was announced
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hells
Smith stays largely mum on the news of the day, be that Kirk’s killing, or ICE raids, or whatever hells await in the coming weeks.
—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.
—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
All’s well that metal-as-hells well.
—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.
—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
All’s well that metal-as-hells well.
—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hells
Noun
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Now imagine all their parents having nightmares that this was their university experience.
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Set amid the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the tragic tale of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is famous for allowing real nightmares to masquerade as bloody fairytales.
Noun
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Member's Mark Premium Baby Wipes Big messes are no problem for Member’s Mark Premium Baby Wipes, which come packaged in 12 press-open lid packs of 96 wipes each.
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Don't Put it Down, Put it Away There are kitchen messes that are pretty unavoidable and just come with the territory of cooking, like crumbs and sticky surfaces.
Noun
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During discussions about elementary and middle school social studies curriculum, board members made addendums, including education about the horrors of communism, why the Second Amendment was created and how counterculture increased the rate of divorce.
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The diamond gave her space to run toward something when the horrors of her past threatened to engulf her.
Noun
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Before the Lost Weekend, John and Yoko had their New York Year — turning their personal confusions into beautifully vivid moments of rage and pain.
Noun
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The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.
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Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies.
Noun
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Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
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Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
Noun
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The sad thing is that the miseries return, but there is no other Garrincha available.
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The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.
Noun
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The beloved southern elephant seal, Neil the Seal, is back in Tasmania, causing havoc yet again and garnering fans through his antics.
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Those same issues have ships and planes on high alert in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflict across the region is causing havoc for civilian applications like ride-hailing and food delivery.
Cite this Entry
“Hells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hells. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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