infernal
Americanadjective
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hellish; fiendish; diabolical.
an infernal plot.
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extremely troublesome, annoying, etc.; atrocious.
an infernal nuisance.
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of, inhabiting, or befitting hell.
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Classical Mythology. of or relating to the underworld.
adjective
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of or relating to an underworld of the dead
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deserving hell or befitting its occupants; diabolic; fiendish
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informal irritating; confounded
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of infernal
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Late Latin infernālis, equivalent to Latin infern(us) “situated below, of the underworld” ( see inferior) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Things that come from Hell, or seem like they do, are infernal. If your father tells you to stop listening to that infernal music, he thinks your tunes are hellish on the ears. The word infernal comes from infernus, the Latin word for underground. A related word is inferno which means a really big fire, the kind that you might find in Hell. Although it might be used to describe something really hot or something evil, infernal is usually used when someone is complaining about something they really don't like such as the infernal dog next door that keeps barking.
Vocabulary lists containing infernal
A Christmas Carol
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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Term-ometer: Synonyms for "Hot"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some tourists waited under a pine tree while others hurried up the Via dei Fori Imperiali, wearing hats or carrying umbrellas to escape the infernal sun.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
While “Is God Is” makes no overt references to modern politics or social mores, Harris’ writing is in constant conversation with our uniquely infernal times.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
They constituted hitting a new bottom, a new and infernal, face-lit-by-flames bottom, in world communications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Its three suns move and align in such a way as to create regular but random apocalyptic events, from infernal heat to sudden ice ages to gravitational vortexes, that destroy the civilization again and again.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
His Stygian iron blade seemed to make the shadows even gloomier, as if the infernal metal was drawing the light and heat out of the air.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
