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

Elite Problems: Stanford and its NIL purgatory A few days ago, the Stanford football Instagram account posted a fun video of program legend and current general manager Andrew Luck making calls to season ticket holders. —Chris Branch, New York Times, 1 May 2025

All of this leaves their professional pride, self-esteem and passion to deliver workplace equity in a state of purgatory. —Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

In a show that may or may not be set in purgatory, or heaven, or something else entirely, a twin reveal raises the question, Is Merrill a vision of Max’s future or his path not taken? —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025

But buzz, within a few years, vibrated with anger, his franchise stuck in purgatory. ••• For six months out of 12 over the last few years, Lieberman took the unusual step of moving himself and his wife to a rental property in Jacksonville five minutes away from Engram. —Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 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