match made in hell

noun

A relationship that is likely to be unhappy or unsuccessful because the two partners are very incompatible with each other.

Opposite
match made in heaven
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Meanings

nounmatch made in hell (plural matches made in hell)

plural matches made in hell

  1. idiomaticA relationship that is likely to be unhappy or unsuccessful because the two partners are very incompatible with each other.
  2. broadlyA very unsuccessful or conflicting combination of two people or things.

    Two Agencies. Same team. Different objectives. It was a match made in hell, but policy makers back in Washington expected everyone to sing kumbaya for the good of the country.

    2021, Taylor Moore, Down Range, HarperCollins, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
match made in heaven
Cite this entry
APA

match made in hell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/match%20made%20in%20hell

MLA

“match made in hell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/match%20made%20in%20hell. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “match made in hell,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/match%20made%20in%20hell.

Source: match made in hell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.