netherworld

noun

neth·​er·​world ˈne-t͟hər-ˌwərld 

1

: the world of the dead

2

: underworld sense 4

the netherworld of deceit … and espionage

—R. M. Nixon

3

: no-man's-land sense 2

lost in a bureaucratic netherworld

Synonyms

• demimonde
• demiworld
• half-world
• underbelly
• underworld

Examples of netherworld in a Sentence

the shadowy netherworld of all-night raves

Recent Examples on the Web

Below that is the Futures tour, tennis’s vast netherworld of more than 2,000 true prospects and hopeless dreamers. —Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 8 July 2024

Tells Real-Life Tales of the Country's Most Notorious Motorcycle Gang 'Dune: Part Two' Is Bigger, Bolder — and Yes, Even Better — Than Part One Lyons’ book also utilized a long, taped conversation with Kathy Bauer, the real-life Benny’s wife, as a dispatch from this dirty-fingernail netherworld. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024

But as any cinephile will tell you, there’s no bridging the gap between the real world and the cinematic netherworld once the credits roll. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2024

And how can Turkey possibly face the prospect of sliding toward the financial netherworld? —Tom Keatinge, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2014

Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing netherworld

• the netherworld

Kids Definition

netherworld

noun

neth·​er·​world ˈneth-ər-ˌwərld 

: the world of the dead