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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Dissimilar Words

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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Dissimilar Words

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 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 Billionaire Stan Kroenke, owner of the Rams, Nuggets and Avalanche, swooped in Tuesday to rescue the Angels from baseball’s purgatory. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Kohl’s decided in 2016 to close one of its big box stores in Roswell, but no one knew the building’s fate would be stuck in purgatory for the next decade. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Drowning in decks Outside of pilot purgatory, there’s the drowning-in-decks issue. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purgatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory

Noun

Other passengers included André Breton, Victor Serge, and Claude Lévi-Strauss—all fleeing the inferno.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the inferno, the fire department said.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of inferno

Noun

Johansson, as the PR nightmare pop diva, matches him and even gets to show off her musical chops in a couple of the songs provided by New Zealand’s Kimba.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
But then came the nightmare of Game 3, one of the Sox’s worst performances in weeks.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of nightmare

Noun

His personal agony fused with despair over the military government, which continued to crack down on democracy activists.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Now, the defining image of the death penalty in 2026 is a woman strapped to a gurney, in unbearable agony, being tortured by prison officials tasked with killing her but unable to do so.

— Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

But when the mechanic suddenly disappears, he is forced to descend into a mysterious underworld and confront an alien presence in order to bring her back.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
The film follows two brothers who become entangled in a dangerous criminal underworld.

— Marc Malkin, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of underworld

Noun

The film represents Universal trying to break the franchise’s box office curse.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Related Stories Taibah, who also wrote the screenplay, plays Hayat, a fiercely independent young woman convinced that a generational curse will kill her on her 30th birthday.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of curse

Noun

This dilemma is causing one hell of an identity crisis for our hero, thus throwing everything in his inner world out of whack.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
The series followed the Brannock family who moved into what was supposed to be their suburban dream home, and quickly became a living hell.

— Peter White, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of hell

Noun

His ordeal would go on to become one of the most egregious examples of prosecutorial misconduct in the United States.

— Madeleine Baran, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
That entire ordeal is presented in detail, a backstage drama in miniature that treats the boardroom soap opera as the last chance to keep Pandora’s box shut.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of ordeal

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Style

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purgatory

noun

Example Sentences

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