infernal

adjective

in·​fer·​nal in-ˈfər-nᵊl How to pronounce infernal (audio)
1
: of or relating to a nether world of the dead
2
a
: of or relating to hell
3
: damnable
an infernal nuisance
infernally adverb

Examples of infernal in a Sentence

the infernal regions of the dead Stop making that infernal racket!
Recent Examples on the Web This time, infernal matter oozed out of a 3,000-foot-long crack that emerged near one of the protective walls to the town’s north, which managed to deflect the lava. Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024 To slow its infernal advance, engineers pumped seawater from the harbor toward the red-hot lava’s leading edge. Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024 Númenor’s last king heeds this infernal counsel and sails with a mighty fleet to those undying lands. Jack Butler, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023 Hedwig, blinkered by the bounty of her domestic environs, seemingly ignores the infernal light and smoke from nearby chimney stacks, and otherwise blocks out the machinery of mass death: the barking of guard dogs, the rumbling of crematoria, the crack of pistols, the screams of prisoners. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 When the fires came to Yellowknife, the nearest safe-harbor city was more than 600 miles away, a full day’s drive through dense smoke and flammable, nearly uninhabited forest in the infernal midst of Canada’s worst wildfire season on record. David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023 As a brand, Annabelle’s infernal power knows no limits. Vulture, 15 Sep. 2023 Smoke from wildfires in Canada lent skies across the northern United States an infernal hue this past June. Charles Arrowsmith, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023 In the Mephistopheles movement, Bernstein augments the infernal atmosphere by having the strings play sul ponticello—a ghastly slithering of the bow near the bridge. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infernal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enfernal, from Late Latin infernalis, from infernus hell, from Latin, lower, from inferus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of infernal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near infernal

Cite this Entry

“Infernal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infernal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

infernal

adjective
in·​fer·​nal in-ˈfərn-ᵊl How to pronounce infernal (audio)
1
: of or relating to hell
2
: very bad or unpleasant
an infernal nuisance
infernally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on infernal

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