PURGATORY Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

purgatory

noun

Definition of purgatory

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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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 If Jones, who’s on track to start in Week 1, can’t stay healthy again or his hot start from last year proves to be a fluke, then the Colts’ cycle of quarterback purgatory continues. — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 20 July 2026 The Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest to escape their recent first-round playoff purgatory starts with a new 84-game regular-season slate. — Nicolas Villamil, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026 Cthulhu, who tricks the Minions into releasing his friends from purgatory. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 June 2026 It was created by Congress, in 1990, to protect undocumented kids who ended up in the child-welfare system from being deported or getting stuck in a parentless purgatory. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for purgatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory

Noun

The inferno that follows, as the betrayer’s dragon sets fire to both armies and then Tumbleton itself, will be rendered with both practical flames and CGI.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Charming, impulsive, and incapable of leaving a wound alone, Rodney is the sibling most likely to turn a spark into an inferno.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of inferno

Noun

But things turned into a nightmare in the second quarter, as the Aces put a damper on the celebrations.

— Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
With Skubal and so many other players injured, their May was abysmal, the type of nightmare month that can tank an entire season.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of nightmare

Noun

Alistair Taylor’s reward for accompanying him into this teenage netherworld was to be given lunch at his current favorite city-center restaurant, the Peacock.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026
The rules of this netherworld announce themselves, early on, via a nondescript wall sign.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of netherworld

Noun

Such is the ecstasy, the agony, of judgment, which was never for their benefit.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026
The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there.

— Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

Their videos work as a modern take on the narcocorridos – ballads about the trafficking underworld that drug kingpins used to praise themselves and communicate with each other, said security expert Alexei Chévez.

— Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Blending crime fiction with social satire, the series follows Ray Carney, a furniture salesman who can’t help but be drawn into the criminal underworld of Harlem.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 31 July 2026

Definition of underworld

Noun

Clementine, the oldest daughter, takes control to help break out the other children, and Mary, in telling her story publicly, has agency in rectifying the familial curse.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
What did Widow’s Bay creator and showrunner Katie Dippold see in Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, mayor of the New England island town plagued by a historic curse?

— Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of curse

Noun

Minamoto Yoshitsune was a strategist who went to hell and took it over, defeating the Oni who guarded hell.

— Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Goldberg has long been open about attempting to get another Sister Act movie off the ground, with Goldberg even previously listing Palmer as part of her dream cast for Sister Act 3, which has been stuck in development hell for years.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of hell

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purgatories

purgatory

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Style

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of purgatory

noun

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