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

Gaza remains in a state of purgatory, with millions of Palestinians still dealing with a humanitarian crisis and the future of the territory very much in doubt. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026

In one infamous case out of Charlotte, then-murder suspect Devalos Perkins cycled between jail and mental health treatment for 11 years, stuck in a kind of legal purgatory. —Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026

But like everything else with this latest vintage of Golden State basketball, we are left to wait in the purgatory of the offseason. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026

The timing of Promising Young Woman, premiering to big buzz at Sundance in 2020 and then languishing in pandemic purgatory before ultimately getting dumped onto VOD, was a disappointment. —Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026

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