Hades

noun

Ha·​des ˈhā-(ˌ)dēz 

1

: the Greek god of the underworld

2

: the underground abode of the dead in Greek mythology

3

: sheol

4

often not capitalized : hell sense 1a

Did you know?

In Greek mythology, Hades is both the land of the dead and the god who rules there. Hades the god (who the Greeks also called Pluto) is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, who rule the skies and the seas. The realm called Hades, where he rules with his wife Persephone, is the region under the earth, full of mineral wealth and fertility and home to dead souls. Hades today is sometimes used as a polite term for Hell ("It's hotter than Hades in here!").

Examples of Hades in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And for Kansas City after New Year’s — and whatever fresh Hades awaits after that. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 18 Dec. 2024

The black and white striped sweater from Extreme Cashmere is up for sale, as is the baby blue and orange cardigan from Hades Wool. —Aamina Inayat Khan, StyleCaster, 10 Dec. 2024

Miller cut his filmmaking teeth in horror, making movies like Silent Night, but moved into action, working with the likes of Bruce Willis in Marauders, Nicolas Cage in Arsenal, and Sylvester Stallone in Escape Plan 2: Hades. —Simon Thompson, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

The show currently stars Fisher as Orpheus, Boykin as Hades, Reficco as Eurydice, Lillias White as Hermes and Allison Russell as Persephone. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek Aidēs, Āidēs, Haidēs

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

hades

noun

ha·​des

ˈhād-(ˌ)ēz

: hell sense 1

Etymology

Greek Haidēs, god of the underworld, abode of the dead in Greek mythology