underworld
UK/ˈʌndəˌwɜːld//ˈʌndɚˌwɚld/
underworld noun: the world of the dead, located underneath the world of the living; the afterlife.
Noun (1)
underworld (plural underworlds)
- The world of the dead, located underneath the world of the living; the afterlife.
- In Hindu scriptures, the four-eyed dogs Śārvara and Śyāma guard the underworld's entrance.
- Synonyms:
- netherworld, Hades, hell
- That part of society that is engaged in crime or vice, and particularly those involved in organized crime.
- A disproportionate amount of local politicians have connections to the underworld.
- The portion of a game that is set below ground.
- In the underworld theme, low notes create a darker feeling that matches the cave setting. This song also creates a sense of continuity across early Mario games, since it's a remix of SMB1's original underworld theme.2016, Alyse Knorr, Super Mario Bros. 3: Boss Fight Books #13
- Antonyms:
- overworld
Noun (2) capitalized: Underworld
Underworld (plural Underworlds)
- Alternative letter-case form of underworld.
- In Scandinavian mythology the dragon is the guardian of the Underworld on the Norse sacred tree, which is the realm of departed spirits, elementals, elves and faery folk ruled by the goddesses Hel and Freya.1985, Michael Howard, The Wisdom of the Runes, Rider & Company, →ISBN, page 129
- At Imbolc, the goddess is transformed from her aged, winter aspect as the Hag, veiled in black, carrying her black rod of barreness as Hela, guardian of the mysteries of death and the Underworld.2002, Nigel Pennick, Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition, Thoth Publications, →ISBN, page 36
underworld meaning in Hindi, Arabic and Thai
underworld in Hindi
- world of the dead
- पाताल pātāl
underworld in Arabic
- world of the dead
- سِجِّين sijjīn, عَالَم سُفْلِيّ ʕālam sufliyy
underworld in Thai
- world of the dead
- ยมโลก yom-má-lôok
Examples of underworld in a sentence
- There may have been uterine caves in the vicinity suggesting a vaginoid entrance to the underworld.
- And as long as cannabusiness remains highly profitable to the criminal underworld, the battle will continue.
- Persephone is taken to the underworld by Hades to be his queen.
Synonyms of underworld
Antonyms
Forms of underworld
| plural | underworlds |
|---|---|
| plural | Underworlds |
Origin of underworld
From under- + world.
Words formed from underworld
Questions about underworld
- What does underworld mean?
- Underworld means the world of the dead, located underneath the world of the living; the afterlife.
- What is underworld in Hindi?
- Underworld in Hindi is पाताल (pātāl). See Underworld meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is underworld?
- Underworld is a noun.
- How do you pronounce underworld?
- Underworld is pronounced /ˈʌndəˌwɜːld/ (UK).
- What is the plural of underworld?
- The plural of underworld is underworlds.
Words near underworld in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: underworld (page history and authors); Underworld (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-underworld.wav.
Cite this entry: “underworld.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/underworld. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.