underworld

American  

[uhn-der-wurld] / ˈʌn dərˌwɜrld /

noun

1. the criminal element of human society.

2. the imagined abode of departed souls or spirits; Hades.

3. a region below the surface, as of the earth or a body of water.

4. the opposite side of the earth; the antipodes.

5. Archaic. the earth.

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underworld British  

/ ˈʌndəˌwɜːld /

noun

1. 1. criminals and their associates considered collectively

   2. ( as modifier )

      underworld connections

2. the regions below the earth's surface regarded as the abode of the dead; Hades

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Etymology

Origin of underworld

First recorded in 1600–10; under- + world

Example Sentences

Dhurandhar: The Revenge picks up from that cliffhanger, deepening a long-running Indian intelligence operation inside Karachi's criminal and political underworld.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Yet before she can truly represent both the queen of the underworld and goddess of spring, Moreno must first survive the gauntlet that is the New York winter.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

The animated movie about a Korean girl group battling invaders from the underworld was a surprise hit last year, becoming the most watched original film on Netflix.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Time France's debut edition also includes an interview with US ambassador to France Charles Kushner, a report from Ukraine's Donbas region and an investigation into the art trafficking underworld, according to its table of contents.

From Barron's • Dec. 15, 2025

Tartarus and Erebus are sometimes two divisions of the underworld, Tartarus the deeper of the two, the prison of the Sons of Earth; Erebus where the dead pass as soon as they die.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• gangland
• mob
• organized crime
• syndicate