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 For anyone stuck in bean subscription purgatory, PANTRi is an excellent option. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Sep. 2026 Discipline campaigns offer unambiguous carrots and sticks, including leniency for cadres who show the right attitude and professional purgatory, even exile, for those who do not. — Andrew Mertha, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026 Is the morality fable at the end an allegory of purgatory or hell? — The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 Sep. 2026 Slow Horses fanatics will recognize her as one of the veteran MI5 operatives stuck in the agency’s version of purgatory, known as Slough House. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 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
  • In 1994, a raging inferno erupted at a home in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Other passengers included André Breton, Victor Serge, and Claude Lévi-Strauss—all fleeing the inferno.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • After the raid, his daughter struggled with recurring nightmares, the lawsuit said.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Recurring nightmares Juana Rodriguez attended the festival with her three-year-old son.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 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
  • The minutes had passed so quickly for the rest of the world, but for the families waiting to learn whether their children were alive, the abrupt end of the gunfire wasn’t the end of their agony.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The daughters of burning witches were sometimes made to stand close to the pyre, being whipped by locals while watching their mothers die in agony.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Dementia related to untreated syphilis left him incapable of resuming his position atop the country’s criminal underworld.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The show revolved around Crockett and Tubbs, two undercover detectives infiltrating South Florida’s criminal underworld.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of underworld
Noun
  • For their version, which follows a young teen boy (Bean Reid’s Sam) who works to find his missing brother in a town haunted by an evil crop curse, the answer was pumpkin guts.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The money, which added up to many millions in today’s dollars, was a blessing and a curse.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • The band hovers in a razor-thin lacuna between heaven and hell, between ascension and purgatory, on the verge of going either way.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Searching for Wendy in the depths of the Sephora store, Stan watches his surroundings shift from slightly off, to off, to get-me-the-hell-out-of-here off.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hell
Noun
  • This entire ordeal can be traced back to the infamous BCS formula, which captivated audiences with computer rankings that led to fans essentially yelling at computers at seasons end.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • If the person holding key intellectual property or leading the company risks losing status, immigration planning ceases to be a personal ordeal.
    — Bernardo Saraiva, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of ordeal

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purgatory
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Cite this Entry

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on purgatory

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about purgatory

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