infernoin‧fer‧no /ɪnˈfɜːnəʊ $ -ɜːrnoʊ/ noun (plural infernos) [countable] 
Within minutes, the house had become a raging inferno.► see thesaurus at fire2literary when someone has very strong feelings that are difficult to control: She was desperately trying to calm the inferno raging within her.
WORD ORIGINinferno
Origin:
1800-1900 Italian ‘hell’, from Late Latin infernus; ➔ INFERNALEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Eleven homes and several businesses were destroyed in the inferno.
- He rushed back into the inferno to rescue his two-year-old sister, Cora, who had been trapped inside.
- High winds quickly turned the fire into a deadly inferno.
THESAURUS
flames that burn in an uncontrolled way and destroy or damage things: · In April, a fire at the school destroyed the science block.· a forest fire
the bright parts of a fire that you see burning in the air: · The flames from the burning building were lighting up the night sky.
written a large and dangerous fire – used especially in news reports: · Firemen fought to keep the blaze under control.
written an extremely large and dangerous fire which is out of control – used especially in news reports: · The entire building was on fire and hundreds of people were trapped in the inferno.
formal a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, trees etc: · The conflagration spread rapidly through the old town.
Longman Language Activatora fire that damages a building, forest, etc · Eleven people died in a fire in Chicago early Monday.fire spreads (=gets bigger or worse) · The fire quickly spread throughout the building.fire breaks out (=starts suddenly) · Investigators say the fire probably broke out in the hotel kitchen.start a fire · The fire was started by an electrical fault.forest fire · A forest fire had been raging in the south and the sky in that direction had a deep red glow.
a large and dangerous fire that burns very strongly: · Firefighters struggled to control the blaze.· The church was completely destroyed in the blaze.
a very large, very hot, and very dangerous fire, especially in an enclosed space such as a building - used especially in newspapers and in literature: · Eleven homes and several businesses were destroyed in the inferno.· He rushed back into the inferno to rescue his two-year-old sister, Cora, who had been trapped inside.
the bright parts of a fire that you see burning in the air: · I saw flames coming from the engine.· She frantically sprayed the flames with a fire extinguisher.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Within minutes, the house had become a raging inferno.
1an extremely large and dangerous fire – used especially in news reportsraging/blazing inferno Within minutes, the house had become a raging inferno. Within minutes, the house had become a raging inferno.► see thesaurus at fire2literary when someone has very strong feelings that are difficult to control: She was desperately trying to calm the inferno raging within her.