underworld

noun

un·​der·​world ˈən-dər-ˌwərld How to pronounce underworld (audio)
1
: the place of departed souls : hades
2
archaic : earth
3
: the side of the earth opposite to one : antipodes
4
: a social sphere below the level of ordinary life
the town's seedy underworld
especially : the world of organized crime

Examples of underworld in a Sentence

a magazine article taking an insightful look at the underworld inhabited by street people
Recent Examples on the Web The White Lotus star Theo James has to extricate his aristocratic family from the clutches of a criminal underworld in the official trailer for The Gentlemen, Guy Ritchie’s gangster romp for Netflix based on the Hollywood director’s 2019 film of the same name. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 Rybak concluded that by 2002, Lamont—who Rybak says may have been comrades with Voss in the drug underworld—borrowed the idea for himself and started a second ring doing the same thing. Jordan Michael Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 Unveiling this underworld opens a cavern of secrets necessary to understanding Detroit's history. Detroit Free Press, 10 Feb. 2024 Among many other things, the opera is a study in inequality, the Nibelungs living in a dank underworld. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024 Charming and mysterious, Jay Shorey strives to balance his connection to the Chicago underworld with his desperate yearning for the refinement and protection of high society. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 His estranged brother, however, is completely oblivious to his family’s ties to the criminal underworld. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024 In the work, Saar collaborates with poet Samiya Bashir to create a visual simile between the contamination of Flint, Michigan’s water source and the five rivers of the Greek mythological underworld. Sarah Murphy, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2024 By bringing these two characters together, contrasting their personalities and goals, Infinite Wealth is able to further explore these figures and their status in the series’ version of the Japanese underworld. Reid McCarter, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underworld.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of underworld was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near underworld

Cite this Entry

“Underworld.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underworld. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

underworld

noun
un·​der·​world ˈən-dər-ˌwərld How to pronounce underworld (audio)
1
: the place of the souls of the dead
2
: the side of the earth opposite to one
3
: the world of organized crime

More from Merriam-Webster on underworld

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