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underworld

[ uhn-der-wurld ]
/ ˈʌn dərˌwɜrld /
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noun
the criminal element of human society.
the imagined abode of departed souls or spirits; Hades.
a region below the surface, as of the earth or a body of water.
the opposite side of the earth; the antipodes.
Archaic. the earth.
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Origin of underworld

First recorded in 1600–10; under- + world
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use underworld in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for underworld

underworld
/ (ˈʌndəˌwɜːld) /

noun
  1. criminals and their associates considered collectively
  2. (as modifier)underworld connections
the regions below the earth's surface regarded as the abode of the dead; Hades

Other words from underworld

Related adjectives: chthonian, chthonic
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
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