Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

fire-and-brimstone

American  
[fahyuhr-uhn-brim-stohn] / ˈfaɪər ənˈbrɪmˌstoʊn /

adjective

  1. threatening punishment in the hereafter.

    a fire-and-brimstone sermon.


fire-and-brimstone British  

adjective

  1. (of a sermon, preacher, etc) zealous, esp in threatening eternal damnation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fire-and-brimstone

First recorded in 1795–1805

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:

John toils as a sheep farmer and weaver, and practices a fire-and-brimstone form of Presbyterianism.

From The Wall Street Journal May 1, 2026

From that point on, Dr Lee says, Lee dialled back on the controversial, fire-and-brimstone approach for which he had become notorious – opting instead to play it safe and keep a low profile.

From BBC May 27, 2025

In a fire-and-brimstone kicking off of Friday’s parade of VIPs, U.N.

From Washington Times Dec. 1, 2023

So, no fire-and-brimstone speech like the ones the old Notre Dame football coach remains famous for are coming.

From Seattle Times Sep. 7, 2023

Over the next forty years, giving as many as 250 speeches a year, speaking to more than one million people, he did just that, holding his audiences spellbound with his fire-and-brimstone style of preaching.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training