Hellfire - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Hellfire refers to the intense, destructive flames often associated with hell in religious contexts. It symbolizes eternal punishment or extreme suffering and is used metaphorically to describe intense heat or fury.
Definition:
Intense fire associated with hell or divine punishment; often used metaphorically for extreme suffering.
Synonyms:
inferno, damnation, perdition, purgatory
Part of Speech:
noun
Antonyms:
paradise, heaven
Common Collocations:
hellfire and brimstone, fear of hellfire, preach about hellfire
Derivatives:
hellfired (rare), hellfiring (rare)
Usage Tips:
Use "hellfire" to emphasize extreme torment or destruction, often in religious or hyperbolic contexts.
Common Phrases:
hellfire and brimstone, raining hellfire, trial by hellfire
Etymology:
From Old English "helle fyr," combining "hell" (infernal place) and "fire" (burning flames).
Examples:
- 1. The preacher warned of eternal hellfire for sinners.
- 2. Legends describe dragons breathing streams of hellfire upon villages.
- 3. She felt the hellfire of guilt after her mistake.
- 4. The warlord unleashed hellfire upon his enemies without mercy.