as in dump
a dirty or messy place
his first apartment was a hellhole in an unsafe neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hellhole
Far from being the hellholes that Trump and his minions constantly depict, cities such as New York and Boston and Seattle are already desirable places to live—witness their housing pressures.
—
Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Who wants to work to separate family members from each other or put people in a hellhole in the Everglades?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025
The place where Dante cast endless sinners, upside down in hellholes of their own carving, or in the tangled forest of suicides, or with the fratricides in the ninth circle, all of them eternally condemned.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
She was immediately put on the next plane back to her Third World hellhole.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellhole
Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Who wants to work to separate family members from each other or put people in a hellhole in the Everglades?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025
The place where Dante cast endless sinners, upside down in hellholes of their own carving, or in the tangled forest of suicides, or with the fratricides in the ninth circle, all of them eternally condemned.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
She was immediately put on the next plane back to her Third World hellhole.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hellhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hellhole
Noun
-
There are many more deeper, harder to get to dumps that are not practical (or economically viable) to remediate.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Cash, check or credit card are accepted for dump station fees.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As history has proved, titans of industry often share a regrettable tendency to make a lot of money from leveraging enthusiasm and then leaving others to clean up the mess when the markets implode.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
When asked what could be done to make life easier on modern consumers when a surplus of media rights deals are making a mess of the viewing experience, McMahon didn’t have any suggestions.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Florida overcame a 10-point first-half deficit and dug out of a 12-point hole after intermission on Sunday, but could not close out the Hawkeyes, who will face Nebraska on Thursday in Houston.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The burst of activity came as Earth was hit by a complex wave of solar energy, delivering a one-two punch from multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) alongside a fast stream of solar wind from a coronal hole.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
De Wet claims Olivier then ordered him to dispose of their bodies in a pigsty — an act prosecutors believe was meant to destroy evidence.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Regard your property as an investment in a pigsty, and visitors will treat it thus.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Rainn Wilson, the actor who portrayed him, has a pigpen.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
-
If the Hogs couldn’t win the day in their pigpen, with Bryce Young sidelined since the second quarter with a sprained shoulder, after scoring 23 straight points in the midst of a rare, extended Alabama meltdown, will this ridiculous streak ever end?—
Kevin Scarbinsky | Special to AL.com,
al,
2 Oct. 2022
Noun
-
In 1981, he was elected mayor, if not quite the Zohran Mamdani of the Reagan revolution (Mamdani won by two hundred thousand votes, not ten), then at least a sty in the Gipper’s eye.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
In eye care, HOCl is used to help with dry eyes, sties, and conditions like blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).—
Boutayna Chokrane,
Wired News,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hellhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hellhole. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
