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

• demimonde
• demiworld
• half-world
• netherworld
• underbelly

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

Advertisement According to a report released over the weekend by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Chinese agents have sought to use the Taiwanese underworld to channel funds to those with information to sell. —Christopher Bodeen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025

This underworld of extremes has given us some of the most impressive creatures ever discovered—some hauntingly beautiful, others delightfully bizarre. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Colin Farrell plays the Penguin, whose real name is Oz Cobb, and who is struggling to rise to power in the fictional city's criminal underworld. —Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024

By excising Batman and his fantastical sway on Gotham from The Penguin, the city’s criminal underworld feels more grounded in the quotidian details of drug deals and power plays, in actual matters of life and death. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing underworld

• the underworld

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