purgatorial

adjective

pur·​ga·​to·​ri·​al ˌpər-gə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

1

: of, relating to, or suggestive of purgatory

2

: cleansing of sin : expiatory

Examples of purgatorial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nothing less than radical, out-of-the-box thinking will suffice given their current, suffocating, purgatorial scenario. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 June 2026

Everyone can relate to a character waiting for a phone call, or a text, that feeling of being stuck in a purgatorial gap that won’t end until the other person has made contact. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

There are moments, in director Joe Mantello’s grand and spare production, set in a kind of purgatorial garage, when Lane’s innate funnyman persona casts resonant shadows. — Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026

The dark, moody atmosphere and soulful crooning has an air of the purgatorial to it. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for purgatorial

• arboreal
• armorial
• authorial
• factorial
• manorial
• memorial
• pictorial
• sartorial
• sectorial
• tutorial
• vectorial
• ambassadorial