inferno

/ɪnˈfɜːnəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfɜːrnəʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈfər-(ˌ)nō/ (ame, mw)

inferno — noun

  • infernosingular
  • infernosplural

1. an enormous fire whose flames spread so widely and burn so fiercely that firefig

1.名詞C1
釋義

an enormous fire whose flames spread so widely and burn so fiercely that firefighters cannot bring them under control

例句

The summer drought turned the forest outside Sofia's village into a raging inferno within hours.

collocation: raging inferno

Firefighters battled the inferno for three days before saving the last warehouse on the docks.

collocation: battle the inferno

同義詞
  • blaze

    more neutral; any sizeable fire, not necessarily catastrophic

  • conflagration

    formal; emphasises destructive scale, often in news writing

  • firestorm

    specifically a fire that creates its own wind system; more technical

文法句型

a/the + inferno

用法筆記

Almost always used of accidental or disaster-scale fires (buildings, forests, vehicles), never of a controlled cooking fire or campfire. Frequently paired with strong adjectives like 'raging', 'blazing', or 'fierce'.

常見錯誤

❌I lit an inferno in the fireplace to keep warm.
✅I lit a fire in the fireplace to keep warm.
💡'inferno' is reserved for huge uncontrolled fires, not domestic ones.

2. a setting or condition full of suffering, chaos, and noise that feels as terribl

2.名詞C2
釋義

a setting or condition full of suffering, chaos, and noise that feels as terrible as descriptions of hell — for example, a war zone, a packed prison ward, or a violent riot

例句

Élise described the front-line trenches as a frozen inferno of mud, screams, and constant shelling.

pattern: inferno of + nouns listing the torments

The overcrowded refugee camp had become an inferno of hunger, disease, and despair by July.

pattern: become an inferno of …

同義詞
  • hell

    more colloquial and shorter; the everyday word for the same idea

  • nightmare

    stresses the unreal, frightening feel rather than the chaotic scale

  • torment

    focuses on the suffering itself rather than the surrounding scene

反義詞
  • haven

    a place of safety and calm

  • sanctuary

    a peaceful refuge; emphasises protection

文法句型

an + inferno + of + noun

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by context: sense 2 has no literal flames but lists human torments (hunger, fear, violence, noise). Often followed by 'of + [list of suffering nouns]'. Strongly literary; uncommon in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌My desk is an inferno of papers.
✅My desk is a mess of papers.
💡sense 2 needs genuine suffering or chaos, not minor disorder.