Word
fire and brimstone
Definition
n. Threats of punishment or damnation, especially in stern moralising or preaching.
n. The rhetoric of divine punishment and damnation — vivid warnings of hellfire; often used attributively, as in a fire-and-brimstone sermon or preacher.
Examples
“The old preacher was famous for his fire-and-brimstone sermons.”
“She expected a fire-and-brimstone lecture from her father, but he simply looked disappointed.”
“The campaign traded its early fire-and-brimstone rhetoric for a calmer tone once the strategists realised that threats were costing it moderate voters.”
Examples
simple
“The old preacher was famous for his fire-and-brimstone sermons.”
contextual
“She expected a fire-and-brimstone lecture from her father, but he simply looked disappointed.”
complex
“The campaign traded its early fire-and-brimstone rhetoric for a calmer tone once the strategists realised that threats were costing it moderate voters.”
Etymology
The phrase is biblical. In Genesis 19:24 the Lord rains fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them as a judgment; "brimstone" is the old English word for sulphur, whose burning stench made it a natural image of punishment. Revelation 21:8 reuses the pairing, warning that the wicked will have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
Through these passages the two words became fixed together as shorthand for divine wrath and damnation. Preachers who dwelt on hellfire and judgment came to be described as delivering fire-and-brimstone sermons, and the phrase now names that whole style of stern, threatening moralising.
Original etymology written by Shinotoshi Nakamura.
Stories
Judgment & the End · See all Biblical origin
End-times and final-judgment imagery, from the Gospels to Revelation.
Alpha and Omega — The beginning and the end; the most essential or all-encompassing element of something.
a bottomless pit — Something that consumes endlessly and can never be filled or satisfied.
separate the sheep from the goats — To distinguish the worthy or capable from the unworthy or inadequate.
gnashing of teeth — Extreme distress, frustration, or anguished complaining.
cast into outer darkness — To be completely excluded, banished, or shut out from a group or from favour.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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