inferno
noun
hell; the infernal regions.
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inferno
American
[in-fur-noh, een-fer-naw]
/ ɪnˈfɜr noʊ, inˈfɛr nɔ /
noun
-
infernos
plural
inferno
British
/ ɪnˈfɜːnəʊ /
noun
-
(sometimes capital) hell; the infernal region
-
any place or state resembling hell, esp a conflagration
Inferno
Cultural
Discover More
By extension, an “inferno” is a hot and terrible place or condition.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of inferno
1825–35; < Italian < Late Latin infernus hell, noun use of Latin infernus; see infernal
Explanation
An inferno is a huge fire that's difficult to control, like an inferno that burns down a whole city block. Inferno also can describe any horrible place where people suffer. The Latin word infernus means "of the lower regions." Using inferno to mean "hell" is credited to medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Dante's epic poem the Divine Comedy contains one part titled The Inferno, which tells of a journey through the nine circles of hell full of torture, pain, and imagery of red — flames, boiling blood, and so on.
Vocabulary lists containing inferno
Inferno Lingo: Fire Vocabulary
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This Week in Words: April 13–19, 2019
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Newsom had pushed for deeper changes to how wildfires are paid for, and who pays, when an electric utility’s equipment sparks a destructive inferno.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
When they start shooting a movie together, they begin to understand their connection to this ancient evil, and their place in a cyclical inferno wrought by absent parents and bad weather.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Early Wednesday, fire crews prioritized protecting structures as the inferno charged toward Highway 1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
It was around 1:40 a.m. on a summer Saturday last month when Alcaraz’s cell ignited into an inferno.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Finally they reached the edge of the expanding inferno, the line of it far more distinct than Mark would’ve expected.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
Dante Alighieri's Inferno may contain more than religious symbolism and poetic imagination.
From Science Daily ● May 11, 2026
The roughly 15,000-square-foot home was used as a filming location in the Oscar-winning movie ‘The Towering Inferno.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Supposedly the inspiration for Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the land here is a web of natural cracks in the rock that let a mix of steam and gasses reach the surface.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 2, 2024
Named in reference to the three-headed dog monster that inhabited hell in Dante's Inferno, the title is somewhat controversial.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2023
We read Dante’s Inferno in English class, and I always thought it was odd that the very pit of hell is ice—the absence of all hope and light and love.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Gone are the days of not decontaminating equipment, leaving the ashes on helmets and jackets, in order to boast of past infernos.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
A California wildfire bill aimed at paying survivors faster and limiting compensation for executives at electric companies that ignite destructive infernos unexpectedly died in the state legislature Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The forest infernos, raging for days unchecked in France's southwest and in central Spain near Madrid, were among the worst each nation has seen in peacetime.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Water managers and experts said the water systems in Pacific Palisades and Altadena were never designed for wildfires that rage through entire neighborhoods, or for infernos intensified by climate change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
The current carried infernos everywhere, and their bright blazes turned the water into swirling oranges and reds.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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