infernal

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“
His experience and training with the Mounted Police made it difficult for him to accept with equal mind what he called the infernal cheek of a bunch of Indians.

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Definitions (20)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. adjective Of or relating to a lower world of the dead.
  2. adjective Of or relating to hell: infernal punishments; infernal powers.
  3. adjective Fiendish; diabolical: infernal instruments of war.
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Examples (50)

  • We learned a few hours afterwards that in going to the opera, the first consul had narrowly escaped being destroyed by the explosion of what has been called the infernal machine. —  Ten Years' Exile
  • It's a mystery But he told you what their--infernal machine, you called it--is like Yes. —  087 - The Boss Of Terror
  • If Cascada can manage to have 2 albums and a tour over here ... infernal should be able to.
  • The prices were right, and the delivery was reasonably prompt (although their telephone customer service was infernal -- I was on hold for at least half an hour, only to get a wishy-washy answer to my question). —  Epinions Recent Content for Home
  • "It's sorter infernal--it's so mean and partial. —  A Circuit Rider's Wife
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

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Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

horrid ·  awful ·  diabolical ·  abominable ·  damn ·  hellish ·  murderous ·  celestial ·  nasty ·  infamous ·  endless
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin īnfernālis, from īnfernus, hell, from Latin, lower, underground; see n̥dher- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Middle English infernal, from Old French enfernal, infernal, French infernal = Provencal infernal, yfernal = Spanish Portuguese infernal = Italian infernale, from Late Latin infernalis, belonging to the lower regions, from Latin infernus, lower, underground, belonging to the lower regions, from inferus, low: see inferior.
 

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/ɪnˈfərnəl/
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