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

The film is a genre-bending, neo-noir and psychological drama set in the ’90s following a former baseball player brought into a criminal underworld. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 13 June 2025

Ever since Homer's The Odyssey, storytellers have been fascinated with traveling beneath the surface of the Earth into the mysterious underworld. —David Szondy june 08, New Atlas, 8 June 2025

Though Wick tries to return to a quiet life of retirement, a blood oath from his past forces him back into the criminal underworld. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 6 June 2025

Detectives believe his connections with the criminal underworld in Thailand may have begun during his 2019 spell there playing for PTT Rayong. —Stuart James, New York Times, 6 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing underworld

• the underworld

Rhymes for underworld

• netherworld
• otherworld
• curled
• furled
• hurled
• knurled
• swirled
• twirled
• whirled
• whorled
• world
• lifeworld

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