infernal

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈfɝnəl/ UK /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #17948

Meanings

1

adj
Extremely annoying.

Turn off that infernal alarm before it wakes the whole house!
2

adj
Of or like hell; evil and frightening.

The poem describes an infernal landscape of fire and shadow.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · extremely annoying. accursed confounded damn

2 adj · of or like hell; evil and... hellish stygian

More acherontichadeanhellyplutonianplutonicsubtartareantartarean

Opposites

celestialheavenlikeheavenly

Word family

Derived forms infernalisminfernalistinfernalityinfernally

Related forms diabolicalgodforsakenhellborninfernopurgatorialsinfulsinny

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

infernal region
In religious or mythological accounts, a realm associated with hell or the dead.

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle French infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”), equivalent to inferno + -al.

infernal Middle French infernalis la-med

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# infernal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈfɝnəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)nəl/
**Frequency rank:** 17948

## Meanings
1. Extremely annoying.
2. Of or like hell; evil and frightening.

## Examples
- Turn off that infernal alarm before it wakes the whole house!
- The poem describes an infernal landscape of fire and shadow.

## Synonyms
- acherontic
- hadean
- hellish
- helly
- plutonian
- plutonic
- stygian
- subtartarean
- tartarean

## Antonyms
- celestial
- heavenlike
- heavenly

## Derived Forms
- infernalism
- infernalist
- infernality
- infernally

## Related Forms
- diabolical
- godforsaken
- hellborn
- inferno
- purgatorial
- sinful
- sinny

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: infernal
- Root: infernalis

## Etymology
From Middle French infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”), equivalent to inferno + -al.

## AI Etymology
Infernal is from Middle French infernal, from Medieval Latin infernalis, from Latin īnfernus, from īnferum (“netherworld, underworld, hell”), equivalent to inferno + -al. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include infernal (Middle French) and infernalis (la-med). Current senses include extremely annoying and of or like hell; evil and frightening. The wider family includes derived forms such as infernalism, infernalist, infernality, and infernally and related words such as diabolical, godforsaken, hellborn, inferno, and purgatorial.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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