dungeon
Underground castle cell
A dungeon is an underground prison cell, especially in a medieval castle—dark, damp, and often used for torture or indefinite confinement.
The word evokes historical cruelty: The prisoner was thrown into the dungeon and forgotten.
In fantasy games and fiction, dungeons are underground labyrinths filled with monsters and treasure to be conquered: We spent the weekend crawling through dungeons in the new RPG.
Fortified medieval residence
- keepRetain or fortified tower
- oublietteUnderground cell with ceiling hatch
- portcullisVertical sliding castle gate
- drawbridgeHinged castle entrance span
tower · fortress · stronghold · battlement · rampart · baron · lord · siege
Basic unit of life
- shacklesMetal bonds for prisoners
- chainsLinked metal restraints
- prisonerConfined criminal detainee
- captiveOne held by force
jailer · gaoler · iron bars · confinement · incarceration · manacles · ball and chain · locked
Beneath earth's surface
- cavernLarge natural underground chamber
- cryptSubterranean burial vault
- catacombUnderground cemetery passage
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
tunnel · vault · cellar · depths · below · buried · stone · dark
Frame for holding items
- iron maidenSpike-lined torture cabinet
- thumbscrewsDigit-crushing interrogation tool
- stocksOwnership stakes or inventory
- pilloryPublic punishment restraint
flogging · interrogation · torment · agony · executioner · branding · flaying · whip
Disagreeably cold and wet
- darkAbsence of light
- gloomyDark and dispiriting
- mustyStale from dampness
- torchlitLit by handheld flames
shadowy · damp · cold · forbidding · ominous · eerie · rats · cobwebs
castle
Fortified medieval residence
- keepRetain or fortified tower
- oublietteUnderground cell with ceiling hatch
- portcullisVertical sliding castle gate
drawbridge · tower · fortress · stronghold · battlement · rampart · baron · lord · siege · manor
cell
Basic unit of life
captive · jailer · gaoler · iron bars · confinement · incarceration · manacles · ball and chain · locked · barred
subterranean
Beneath earth's surface
- cavernLarge natural underground chamber
- cryptSubterranean burial vault
- catacombUnderground cemetery passage
chamber · tunnel · vault · cellar · depths · below · buried · stone · dark · passageway
rack
Frame for holding items
- iron maidenSpike-lined torture cabinet
- thumbscrewsDigit-crushing interrogation tool
- stocksOwnership stakes or inventory
pillory · flogging · interrogation · torment · agony · executioner · branding · flaying · whip · gibbet
dank
Disagreeably cold and wet
torchlit · shadowy · damp · cold · forbidding · ominous · eerie · rats · cobwebs · dripping
dragon
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
- questSeeking journey for something
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
- treasureValued wealth or keepsake
monster · boss · loot · hero · RPG · crawler · level · raid · skeleton · goblin
freedom
Absence of constraint
key · lockpick · tunnel · liberation · fugitive · evasion · attempt · plan · rope · guard
- castleskeep, moat, drawbridge, turret, battlements
- fantasy adventuredragon, dragons, wizard, wizards, magic
- action-adventurecombat, exploration, treasure, quest, hero
- castlekeep, moat, drawbridge, battlements, tower
- dungeonoubliette, cell bars, torture chamber, chains, prison cell
- Eerie Placeshaunted house, haunted mansion, haunted castle, ghost town, catacombs
dungeonpalace
Monarch's official residence
throne room · paradise · luxury suite · ballroom · great hall
- Dungeons and DragonsFantasy roleplaying game system
- Dungeons & DragonsFantasy tabletop roleplaying game
- dungeon masterTabletop RPG narrator
- dungeon crawlerGame exploring hostile underground labyrinths
- sex dungeonRoom for BDSM activities
- dungeon crawlUnderground maze exploration genre