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 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 Bad cops are not being fired, and good cops who may be wrongfully accused are stuck in professional purgatory. — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026 The Heat has not been on top since then, and, after four straight seasons in play-in purgatory, counted on James’ return to help end that drought. — Miami Herald, 24 July 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
  • Gunshots followed by an inferno Police responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames.
    — Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Hiding underneath a desk in a classroom was an 8-foot python, which fire officials say started the inferno.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Anaheim’s long nightmare is over, writes columnist Gustavo Arellano.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In outline, these are elegant Bond-villain machines for faceless, leaderless, pervasive espionage and assassination, the stuff of paranoid nightmares and stochastic violence.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 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
  • In a world where women endure the impossible to bring new life into the world—holding agony and beauty all at once—shouldn’t women be celebrated for more than just their idealized form and youth?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Bugs Bunny jams himself against the edge and grits his teeth in agony.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • The unlicensed recovery center underworld ranges from places that pamper patients with space and very personal care by licensed medical professionals to places that cram patients into spaces minded by people with limited or no medical training.
    — DAVID J. NEAL, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • After slowly changing the theatrical underworld as the king of midnight movies, Curry spent the rest of his acting career gleefully refusing to be pinned down.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of underworld
Noun
  • The generational curse in question involves the men who fall in love with the Owens women, who are destined to die untimely deaths.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • When their family's love curse pops up again, the siblings work with their aunts (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest) and Sally's kids (Joey King and Maisie Williams) to break it once and for all.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • University email reply-all hell is one of many high jinks that form this bubbly little British rom-com.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • An episode of septicemia, with its hells and paradises, its nightmares and hallucinations, transforms Borges into a story writer.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of hell
Noun
  • There were long lines at gas pumps, turning each fill-up into an ordeal.
    — Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • McCoy has transformed his ordeal into a testimonial on faith and the power of prayer.
    — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ordeal

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Cite this Entry

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on purgatory

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about purgatory

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