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purgatory

noun

Definition of purgatorynext
1
as in inferno
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 nightmare
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purgatory Drowning in decks Outside of pilot purgatory, there’s the drowning-in-decks issue. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026 Or will the market put it back in purgatory because people believe that Claude can do everybody's taxes? — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Billions of dollars later, most organizations got pilot purgatory instead. — Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 That sense of purgatory is the saving grace of an otherwise painful watch. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
  1. inferno
  2. nightmare
  3. netherworld
  4. agony
  5. underworld
  6. curse
  7. hell
  8. ordeal
Noun
  • Four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the inferno, the fire department said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The crew use three tiers of flame bars behind Howell to spark the inferno that will snake through prom, fueled by the growing intensity of Carrie’s powers.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • That led to the rest of the tour’s openers and even Sheeran’s backing band for the tour dropping off the tour in solidarity with Macklemore — all of which became a huge news story and PR nightmare for the usually very un-controversial Sheeran.
    — Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The Texans are supposed to be elite on the defensive side of the ball, but having to face Allen and then Burrow will give any defensive coordinator nightmares.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • And with most of the original cast now long gone, the latest sequel often feels as cursed as that treacherous netherworld.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Further, in other words, doesn’t just have to be a foggy, dim netherworld.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of netherworld
Noun
  • There are few harsher agonies than waiting, and throughout the great expanse of the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, two riders felt that in very different ways.
    — Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • But for Roma, the agony for his missing son did not end that day.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Created by Ronan Bennett, the Paramount+ series follows the warring Harrigan and Stevenson families, whose long-running feud threatens to upend London’s criminal underworld.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • When his brother pleads for help, Tariq is pulled back into the London criminal underworld and the dangerous orbit of their crime boss mother.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of underworld
Noun
  • The anime’s first part closed with the disturbances tied to the body-swap curse largely resolved, and with Reirin and Keigetsu having grown closer after coming to understand each other through the experience.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • For readers who are familiar with the literary curse of Plaschke in his column over the years, this prediction is not that.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • The swarm of hell shall breathe up from the furnace that warms it, and over which Satan himself shall preside.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Queenie also visits her personal hell and the fates of LaLaurie and Laveau.
    — Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of hell
Noun
  • The ordeal began when 56-year-old Hawkins placed a mattress against the door of the home to prevent the woman from leaving, officials said.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The ordeal began Sunday after authorities said Spencer threatened people with a gun, rammed a sheriff’s patrol vehicle and fled into the forest.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of ordeal

Browse Nearby Words

purgatories
purgatory
purge
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Cite this Entry

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on purgatory

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about purgatory

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