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 This state of purgatory has existed ever since and is what allowed BlackX to bypass Secure Boot three years after BlackLotus. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026 Stuck between reality and a ghost world, this psychological horror film examines notions of purgatory, anxiety, and human connection. — Air Mail, 31 Oct. 2026 But keeping them in this purgatory tells others that the United States may be happy to take their valuable intelligence while still not offering them a future. — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026 Other franchises have run into the same issues — looking at you, Star Wars — but Halo has been stuck in this purgatory for 15+ years, as Xbox leaders and strategy shifts come and go. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Oct. 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
  • The cause of the inferno remains under investigation by FDNY fire marshals.
    — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Unsuspecting Americans look up in shock and horror as a massive inferno erupts and engulfs them.
    — James Grebey, Time, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Keeping your porch looking its best will become a maintenance nightmare.
    — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Druski played a nightmare birthday girl in another sketch going off on her friend Tina (Veronika Slowikowska) for eating fajitas and wearing a black bodycon dress.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Nov. 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
  • Taking the McDavid minutes away gives us the purest form of agony these defencemen are experiencing at this time.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The prisoner in question, Doug Korpi, had also admitted that his agony was an act to journalist Ben Blum, who included the revelation in a broader takedown of the experiment published in 2018.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • On a journey to protect the fate of her children, Eliza is thrust into a perilous race through London’s dark underworld, where she is confronted by an unexpected villain.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026
  • When a routine theft goes wrong and Viktor is badly injured, Malina strikes a desperate deal with a corrupt doctor, forcing them into a dangerous journey through Macedonia’s underworld.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of underworld
Noun
  • Lakshmana faces a difficult decision—whether to break Rama’s command or to allow the sage to unleash his curse.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Its quoting is generally accompanied by a Nicholson impression of dubious quality, which is both a curse and an opportunity for director Michael Arden’s expansive new production and its current star, Bradley Whitford.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • The face appears on the lower left side of The Last Judgement where the dead are rising from the ground before either ascending to paradise or descending to hell.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 5 Nov. 2026
  • His second, a collaboration with the Times puzzle editor Tracy Bennett, was a hefty Sunday puzzle rife with just-for-the-hell-of-it wordplay.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of hell
Noun
  • Teen details horrific ordeal Duarte met the 15-year-old when the girl was taking a stroll with her dog near a pool at the hotel, according to Duarte’s arrest report.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Shepard and Padman revisited the controversy after their guest of the day, Pluribus star Rhea Seehorn, had already signed off, allowing the actor to delve deep into his feelings about the whole ordeal.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on purgatory

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about purgatory

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