infernal

[in-fur-nl] /ɪnˈfɜr nl/

adjective

hellish; fiendish; diabolical:

an infernal plot.

extremely troublesome, annoying, etc.; outrageous:

an infernal nuisance.

of, inhabiting, or befitting hell.

Classical Mythology. of or pertaining to the underworld.

Origin

1325-75; Middle English < Late Latin infernālis, equivalent to Latin infern(us) situated below, of the underworld (see inferior) + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

infernality, noun

infernally, adverb

Synonyms

2. devilish, cursed, monstrous.

Examples from the web for infernal

We cross an infernal landscape punctuated with spewing lava.
And of course, there was the drone comb trapping and infernal sugar dusting every week.
Blistering hot with an infernal glow, the fire was all seething heat.
Others idled under the tent, reluctant to head back outside into the infernal heat.
Stop your never-ending litany on your infernal compressor.
She herself would appear at night accompanied by her retinue of infernal dogs.
If it will rid me of these infernal wind chimes, then yes, gladly.
It seemed now to be stamped with the infernal in every feature.
The fact too that this flower is sacred to the infernal deities contains an allusion to the same thing.
The two brothers mount it alternately on their return from the infernal regions.

British Dictionary definitions for infernal

infernal

/ɪnˈfɜːnəl/

adjective

of or relating to an underworld of the dead

deserving hell or befitting its occupants; diabolic; fiendish

(informal) irritating; confounded

Derived Forms

infernality, noun
infernally, adverb

Word Origin

C14: from Late Latin infernālis, from infernus hell, from Latin (adj): lower, hellish; related to Latin inferus low

Word Origin and History for infernal

adj.

late 14c., in reference to the underworld, from Old French enfernal, infernal (12c.), from Late Latin infernalis "of the lower regions," from infernus "hell" (Ambrose), literally "the lower (world)," noun use of Latin infernus "lower, lying beneath," from infra "below" (see infra-). Meaning "devilish, hateful" is from early 15c. For the name of the place, or things which resemble it, the Italian form inferno has been used in English since 1834, from Dante. Related: Infernally.