purgatory

noun

pur·​ga·​to·​ry ˈpər-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural purgatories

1

: an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification

specifically : a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven

2

: a place or state of temporary suffering or misery

Did you know?

Purgatory is the place where the soul is cleansed of all impurities, as Dante described in his great poem The Divine Comedy. Today purgatory can refer to any place or situation in which suffering and misery are felt to be sharp but temporary. Waiting to hear the results of a test, or whether you got a good job, can be a purgatory. And an endless after-dinner speech can make an entire roomful of people feel as if they're in purgatory.

Examples of purgatory in a Sentence

the purgatory of drug abuse

The marathons were jokingly referred to as one-day purgatories.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Cougars could be Oregon State, which went 0-of-2 in this period of purgatory. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 30 Nov. 2025

Over the last 30-odd years, what was intended to be a temporary shelter has become a long-term purgatory, and that eerily stretched stillness of time is poignantly captured in Tamar Kalandadze and Julien Pebrel‘s debut documentary. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Nov. 2025

Then, after a Blu-ray release in 2008 (which went out of print), the film was stuck in a kind of purgatory because Weinstein held on to the home media rights, making the film impossible to see on streaming or in 4K until this year. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2025

But, for roach violations, dead or alive, there is no grace, only the purgatory of remaining closed. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French purgatorie, from Medieval Latin purgatorium, from Late Latin, neuter of purgatorius purging, from Latin purgare

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for purgatory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory

Kids Definition

purgatory

noun

pur·​ga·​to·​ry ˈpər-gə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural purgatories

: a state after death in which according to Roman Catholic belief the souls of those who die in God's grace are purified of their sins by suffering