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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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 Cthulhu, who tricks the Minions into releasing his friends from purgatory. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 June 2026 For much of his life, the pastor considered his immigration status akin to a legal purgatory. — Chicago Tribune, 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 As a passenger, what happens at one is not real life, but instead a purgatory between Here and There. — Bobby Finger june 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for purgatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory

Noun

The blaze was far smaller than a vast inferno that has swept up the Bordeaux region in southwestern France in recent days.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
The soaring temperatures have caused raging infernos across southern France and Spain, with European wildfires burning through 56% more land than in prior years.

— Oliver Balch, Fortune, 27 July 2026

Definition of inferno

Noun

Cryptocurrency firms are facing a nightmare scenario in the Senate, where the shaky state of the industry’s top priority is threatening its plans to unleash midterm campaign cash against its enemies.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
Victims who were injured in the shooting described panic attacks, nightmares and the fear that still follows them into classrooms, neighborhoods and even their own bedrooms.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 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

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
Instead of wailing in agony after sampling the vengefully spiked bird, Prince fell in love with it and founded the BBQ Chicken Shack in 1945.

— Ellen Fort, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

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
The series’ blend of soapy melodramatics and rough-and-tumble underworld menace will be familiar to anybody who has watched Power, but Power and its spinoffs have always been confident in their only-for-adults depictions of adults-only situations.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

Definition of underworld

Noun

King portrays her older daughter, Kylie, who sets out to break the family’s curse, and Williams steps into the shoes of the younger daughter, Antonia.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
But the Owens family’s 300-year-old curse carries one generation forward, striking Sally’s daughter Kylie and her lover (Xolo Maridueña), who gets hit by a car while bicycling with several bouquets of roses.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of curse

Noun

By this point in the Tom Holland era, the idea of the multiverse had been introduced and popularized — hell, the Spider-Man franchise already centered it in Into the Spider-Verse three years prior.

— Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Aug. 2026
The game is also not easy; there’s a lot of bullet hell here, and many rooms are tight and filled with hazards and enemies.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

Definition of hell

Noun

The author, in her latest video on the falling-out with people on the project, hinted at a painful ordeal that unfolded on set, leaving fans scratching their heads and wondering what exactly happened and who was involved.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Clase’s camp has blamed the whole ordeal on a misinterpretation of texts and calls pertaining to rooster fighting.

— Zack Meisel, New York Times, 28 July 2026

Definition of ordeal

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purgatories

purgatory

purge

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of purgatory

noun

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