underworld

noun

un·​der·​world ˈən-dər-ˌwərld 

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

Synonyms of underworld

• abyss
• netherworld
• depths
• demimonde

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 titular vampire gang has formed a band, and when its members start to shred, the stage sinks down to create a mosh pit—a hellish underworld into which victims later drop. —Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026

There, he gradually gets caught up in the criminal underworld that hijacked the country’s privatization following the collapse of the Soviet Union. —Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026

Most prior visits had morphed into extended trips into a terrifying medical underworld — to a purgatory known as emergency department boarding. —Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026

Major gallerists and curators eventually became curious about this irrepressibly cool little underworld. —Paula Aceves, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing underworld

• the underworld

Rhymes for underworld

• netherworld
• otherworld
• curled
• furled
• hurled
• knurled
• swirled
• twirled
• whirled
• whorled
• world
• lifeworld

Kids Definition

underworld

noun

un·​der·​world ˈən-dər-ˌwərld 

1

: the place of the souls of the dead

2

: the side of the earth opposite to one

3

: the world of organized crime