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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Recent Examples of purgatory
This has led to numerous fan theories attempting to make sense of the franchise’s nebulous logic, including the idea that tournament organizer Calypso is a devil figure and the whole thing is some form of purgatory, or that there are multiple timelines.
—
Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Other menu items include vegan Kimchi, a fried tofu sandwich on Zingerman’s bread, and eggs in Gochujang purgatory.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 6 Aug. 2025
These teams are looking to either escape or avoid purgatory in the NHL’s middle ground and are all, to varying degrees, viewing this offseason as an opportunity to make that transition into the first group of contending teams.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 21 June 2025
Regardless of what’s keeping indicators in purgatory, business-friendly Republicans have two ways of dealing with it: eliminating the uncertainty that’s within their control — which means passing a tax bill — and getting accustomed to the rest.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Other menu items include vegan Kimchi, a fried tofu sandwich on Zingerman’s bread, and eggs in Gochujang purgatory.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 6 Aug. 2025
These teams are looking to either escape or avoid purgatory in the NHL’s middle ground and are all, to varying degrees, viewing this offseason as an opportunity to make that transition into the first group of contending teams.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 21 June 2025
Regardless of what’s keeping indicators in purgatory, business-friendly Republicans have two ways of dealing with it: eliminating the uncertainty that’s within their control — which means passing a tax bill — and getting accustomed to the rest.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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National Park Service officials say there was no way to predict the Dragon Bravo Fire would turn into an inferno, jump containment lines and rip through the Grand Canyon's North Rim, leaving a historic lodge and 100 other structures in smoking ruin.—
Stephanie Murray,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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Around 1,000 firefighters are battling the huge inferno—which was only 7 percent contained at the start of the week—amid gusty winds and dry conditions.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, the interview was a PR nightmare that forced Andrew to step back from his public royal duties.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Sep. 2025
-
At 6 feet and blessed with great athletic ability, Moore was a matchup nightmare.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Nicole finds herself in an all too familiar place for those who have experienced the early phase of young-onset neurological disease, a netherworld between acceptance and denial.—
Gus Alexiou,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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The other two-thirds are on a scale of anxiously hopeful to beyond desperate -- an amorphous netherworld of doubt that, yes, includes the Miami Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa, or should.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Hank, having already experienced life-changing failure, is also able to absorb beatings that would destroy most people, endure the agony, and leap back into action.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The buddy story ended in agony when it was revealed that Edwards was on the list and complicit in the ambush plot.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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During one storyline, Angela travels to the Norse underworld known as Hel to resurrect Sera after her death.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
9 Sep. 2025
-
He is soon pulled into an underworld of drugs, violence, escalating dangers and missing bodies.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Now, the princess must gather enough strength from herself and her triplet brothers to undo a curse.—
Sydni Ellis,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Brian is there waiting for her and holy hell are these two into each other.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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Yes, there are teams that constantly underwhelm, but the teams that remain talented and in purgatory hell might be worse off.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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See the full list of competitors and their partners, then press PLAY on the video above to watch Julianne Hough take a deep dive into her medical ordeal.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
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Just over 1,500 children have been rescued from Russia, with almost half of those facilitated by Save Ukraine, a charity dedicated to the return of Russian children who helped Katya get back to Ukrainian territory after her weekslong ordeal in the military camp.—
Guy Davies,
ABC News,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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