as in abysses
a social sphere that exists outside of the mainstream
a magazine article taking an insightful look at the underworld inhabited by street people
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Recent Examples of underworlds
When the gang comes to the attention of Major Chester Campbell, a DCI in the Royal Irish Constabulary, the wheels are set in motion for adventures through the dangerous underworlds of early 20th-century Britain.
—
Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2026
For Aronofsky, the city’s ethnic blend has no special claim on virtue; there seem to be as many criminal underworlds as there are demographic groups.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2026
For Aronofsky, the city’s ethnic blend has no special claim on virtue; there seem to be as many criminal underworlds as there are demographic groups.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underworlds
Noun
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Jean-Pierre is an artifact of an age that looks recent on paper but feels prehistoric in practice—the age of pantsuits, the word ’empowerment,’ the musical Hamilton, the cheap therapeutic entreaties to ‘work on yourself’ and ‘lean in’ to various corporate abysses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
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On the other side of the country, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a longtime reader favorite, is a warm alternative to sterile airport abysses.—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Yet travelers who only know these waters from shoreline cities often miss their quieter side, where shipwrecks rest beneath clear depths, small ports wake to foghorns and science teams study a living ecosystem in real time.—
Malika Bowling,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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At such depths, even minor disturbances can obscure visibility and damage artifacts that have remained intact for centuries.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underworlds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underworlds. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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