hell on earth

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

hell on earth (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) A very unpleasant situation; torment, particularly when widespread.
   • Pope Francis (2015), Laudato si', Paragraph 148: “if the limitations of the environment are compensated for in the interior of each person who feels held within a network of solidarity and belonging, ... any place can turn from being a hell on earth into the setting for a dignified life.”

Related terms

• hell on wheels
• heaven on earth

Translations

very unpleasant situation

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 人間地獄 / 人间地狱 (zh) (rénjiān dìyù), 活地獄 / 活地狱 (zh) (huódìyù)

• Finnish: maanpäällinen helvetti
• German: Hölle auf Erden f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: helvete på jord n

• Swedish: helvete på jorden n