inferno

American  

[in-fur-noh, een-fer-naw] / ɪnˈfɜr noʊ, inˈfɛr nɔ /

noun

plural

infernos

1. hell; the infernal regions.

2. a place or region that resembles hell.

   The ironworks was an inferno of molten steel and half-naked bodies.

   Synonyms:

   oven, hellhole, furnace

3. (initial capital letter, italics) the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting hell and the suffering of the damned.

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inferno British  

/ ɪnˈfɜːnəʊ /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) hell; the infernal region

2. any place or state resembling hell, esp a conflagration

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Inferno Cultural  

1. The first section of The Divine Comedy, by Dante. Inferno is the Italian word for “hell.”

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Discover More

By extension, an “inferno” is a hot and terrible place or condition.

Etymology

Origin of inferno

1825–35; < Italian < Late Latin infernus hell, noun use of Latin infernus; infernal

Example Sentences

The fire at the shop in Union Street broke out at about 15:45 on Sunday and led to the entire building being engulfed in an inferno that caused its partial collapse.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

Times investigations uncovered the alert failure in January of last year, and later found that almost no fire trucks were in that side of the community as the inferno raged through.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

Most of those impacted by the inferno at Le Constellation were Swiss, but a total of 19 nationalities were among the fatalities and the wounded.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

A tiny Swiss village is reeling from the "unimaginable" loss of numerous young people in the New Year inferno at a ski resort bar, including seven players on the same football team.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

“Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, you have provided a spark that, left unattended, may grow to an inferno that destroys Panem.”

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• purgatory