1
as in infernos
a temporary place or state in which the souls of people who die make amends for their sins
It was a summer job that felt like purgatory to the teen.
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2
as in nightmares
a place or state of temporary suffering
We found ourselves trapped in the purgatory of a rush-hour traffic jam.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatories
Noun
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Now, infernos sweep through populous towns and cities.—
Susie Neilson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 July 2025
Noun
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In addition to expressing trauma in the sessions, Alex also had nightmares that resulted in him not being able to sleep for more than one hour consistently, André recalled in the Netflix doc.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Still, the omissions are striking as social media influencers, Letterboxd users, YouTube critics, true crime obsessives, and more power players in eventizing contemporary nightmares go unscathed.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Smith stays largely mum on the news of the day, be that Kirk’s killing, or ICE raids, or whatever hells await in the coming weeks.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
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The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Chants laced with curses echo through Madison Square Garden.—
Albert Samaha,
Washington Post,
3 June 2026
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This energy can even cause a jinx, curses or even death.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2026
Noun
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When the gang comes to the attention of Major Chester Campbell, a DCI in the Royal Irish Constabulary, the wheels are set in motion for adventures through the dangerous underworlds of early 20th-century Britain.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
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For Aronofsky, the city’s ethnic blend has no special claim on virtue; there seem to be as many criminal underworlds as there are demographic groups.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The humans use and abuse, like, 60 of us during an average NCAA game — and the horrors basically double for MLB.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
3 June 2026
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At stake is whether millions of Black Americans will have a say in their future or if the South will descend into the horrors of Jim Crow.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, Phillips said, victims are left to live with the impacts of the perpetrators’ actions — with the survivors in this case forced to continue to relive their ordeals as the case continues on to the Court of Appeal.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
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And for that matter, how could adults accurately account for such ordeals?—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Jean-Pierre is an artifact of an age that looks recent on paper but feels prehistoric in practice—the age of pantsuits, the word ’empowerment,’ the musical Hamilton, the cheap therapeutic entreaties to ‘work on yourself’ and ‘lean in’ to various corporate abysses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
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On the other side of the country, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a longtime reader favorite, is a warm alternative to sterile airport abysses.—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Purgatories.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatories. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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