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purgatory

noun
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pur·​ga·​to·​ry | \ ˈpər-gə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce purgatory (audio) \
plural purgatories

Definition of purgatory

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
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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 In the face of this hostility, and the continued persecution of Christians in Turkey and elsewhere in the Middle East, equivocation about the definition of purgatory becomes increasingly untenable. — Matthew Walther, TheWeek, "Pope Francis' news of the millennium," 4 Dec. 2020 Locked up, essentially — 4, 4, 3 — in little pandemic prisons of basketball purgatory. — Mike Anthony, courant.com, "Mike Anthony: Geno Auriemma and UConn players supporting each other toward opening of season that is already a nightmare," 25 Nov. 2020 The Vikings remain in bureaucratic purgatory as of Monday and now the Ducks and Beavers are being sucked into the vortex, too. — John Canzano, oregonlive, "Canzano: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown now putting all college basketball programs in state at disadvantage," 23 Nov. 2020 After a gruelling period of US election purgatory, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have come out on top. — Elly Belle, refinery29.com, "From Doug To Meena: Here’s Everyone To Know In Kamala Harris’ Family," 11 Nov. 2020 For the moment, Trump's tack represents two significant developments in the purgatory-is-hell story of the 2020 election. — NBC news, "Dingell: Women will help Biden win Michigan," 4 Nov. 2020 The Warriors had been in basketball purgatory ever since Thompson tore the ACL in his left knee during Game 6 of the 2019 Finals—a game in which Golden State was on the verge of forcing a Game 7 with a title three-peat on the line. — Ben Cohen, WSJ, "Warriors’ Klay Thompson Will Miss NBA Season After Achilles Tear," 19 Nov. 2020 Even before the economy cratered this spring, reliance on Parent Plus loans was trapping a slice of middle-aged and older Americans in a debtor’s purgatory. — NBC News, "Parent Plus loans are burying families in college debt," 17 Nov. 2020 Eight months into a historic crisis, the United States appears to be suspended in a sort of economic purgatory. — Washington Post, "Raging virus triggers new shutdown orders and economy braces for fresh wave of pain," 14 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purgatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of purgatory

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for purgatory

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

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Time Traveler for purgatory

Time Traveler

The first known use of purgatory was in the 13th century

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Statistics for purgatory

Last Updated

6 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purgatory. Accessed 8 Dec. 2020.

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More Definitions for purgatory

purgatory

noun
How to pronounce purgatory (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of purgatory

: a state after death according to Roman Catholic belief in which the souls of people who die are made pure through suffering before going to heaven
: a place or state of suffering

See the full definition for purgatory in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on purgatory

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for purgatory

Nglish: Translation of purgatory for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of purgatory for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about purgatory

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