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 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 Because the road into Hunt was unpassable, the Childresses were forced into a monstrous kind of purgatory among other terrified parents at Ingram Elementary School. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 This is for the group of players, coaches and executives who dragged New York City from the pits of basketball purgatory and ushered in a golden era of hoops. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for purgatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory

Noun

Sunday’s temperature for the men’s final is forecast to be around 82 degrees—hot, yes, but nothing like the inferno that was Paris—and so external factors would seem to be at a minimum.

— Corey Seymour, Vogue, 10 July 2026
At least 12 people have been killed in one of southern Spain’s worst-ever wildfires, local officials said Friday, as tragic stories emerge of victims’ attempts to flee the inferno.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 10 July 2026

Definition of inferno

Noun

Throughout the World Cup, videos have emerged on Instagram and TikTok of StubHub customers describing their nightmare experiences with the ticket-selling platform.

— Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Nineties summer is based on the very real concern that 2026 summer is a nightmare of screens and microplastics.

— Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 8 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

Moreover, a host of unsavory characters from Britain’s criminal underworld want a piece of the operation.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 9 July 2026
Miles eventually gets pulled into the local chapter of the Jeremiah Wylkes Society, whose mission is to investigate its 19th-century namesake’s contention that there is a hidden entrance to a spectacular underworld nearby.

— Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026

Definition of underworld

Noun

That 2016 film introduced Johnson as demigod Maui alongside Auli’i Cravalho as the titular girl with exceptional navigation skills, with the pair teaming up to stop a curse from targeting her island.

— Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 July 2026
Everything the man is touching nowadays turns into gold for him and rot for the rest of us, a curse any smart person would avoid.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of curse

Noun

Through their fantastical ordeals, the X-Men illustrate qualities that inspire viewers, young and old.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Incident comes after tenants’ lawsuit The ordeal comes less than a week after eight tenants with the North Lawn Tenant Union filed lawsuits against Levovitz, according to a July 2 news release from Joseph.

— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026

Definition of ordeal

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purgatory

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Style

“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of purgatory

noun

Example Sentences

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