Meaning of Netherworld | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The place to which one's spirit descends upon death, conceived as below the surface of the earth.
2. The locale of the spirit world or afterlife, whether deemed to be situated below the world of the living or not.
3. Specifically, a location of punishment in the afterlife; a hell.
4. A hidden, shadowy, or sinister subculture, such as that of organized crime.
   broadly

Equivalents

Examples

“In some religions, one's soul departs to a netherworld, instead of the heavens.”

“As Inanna prepares to descend she fastens the seven divine laws to her side, and as she walks toward the netherworld she speaks to her vizier, Ninshubur.”

“While I was astrally projecting, I felt my soul pass through many insubstantial netherworlds.”

“The missionary was motivated by a sincere desire to rescue souls from eternal torment in the netherworld.”

“Richard had been initiated into the netherworld of dog racing by his father, and knew all the popular greyhound performance-enhancing drugs.”

“Flicks is a large bar which has been in some conflict since it opened […] The nature of that conflict has been characterized as gay-straight, by the bar managers; as crazies-sane, by some residents; as predators-prey, by some bar patrons; and as "netherworld"-respectable, by some bureaucrats.”

CEFR level