underworld

American  

[uhn-der-wurld] / ˈʌn dərˌwɜrld /

noun

1. the criminal element of human society.

2. the imagined abode of departed souls or spirits; Hades.

3. a region below the surface, as of the earth or a body of water.

4. the opposite side of the earth; the antipodes.

5. Archaic. the earth.

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underworld British  

/ ˈʌndəˌwɜːld /

noun

1. 1. criminals and their associates considered collectively

   2. ( as modifier )

      underworld connections

2. the regions below the earth's surface regarded as the abode of the dead; Hades

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Etymology

Origin of underworld

First recorded in 1600–10; under- + world

Example Sentences

Time France's debut edition also includes an interview with US ambassador to France Charles Kushner, a report from Ukraine's Donbas region and an investigation into the art trafficking underworld, according to its table of contents.

From Barron's

There may be no better time for a schemer like Ashur to be resurrected from the underworld.

From Salon

The ice is still hot, as they might say in the Parisian underworld.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We are in Asamando, my child. The underworld for those who lived with the spirit of Ghana in them. And we need to get you and Autumn out of here immediately.”

From Literature

He had no interest in mining and no experience confronting the Mexican underworld.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gangland
• mob
• organized crime
• syndicate