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
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Recent Examples of purgatory
Nearing twilight, there was a feeling of overtime in the air, of extra innings, of purgatory.
—
Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The refining assets could require expensive maintenance upgrades after several years of legal purgatory, Gelder said.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Roxie is also working through the purgatory of saying too little, too late.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Marrazzo isn’t alone in purgatory.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The refining assets could require expensive maintenance upgrades after several years of legal purgatory, Gelder said.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Roxie is also working through the purgatory of saying too little, too late.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Marrazzo isn’t alone in purgatory.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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The inferno moved rapidly, quickly engulfing the chapel – with an unknown number of people still inside.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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The streamer will also be on stage for a panel about Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus, in which a wayward school bus driver and a dedicated school teacher battle to save 22 children from a terrifying inferno.—
The Deadline Team,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Penn State’s season turns into a nightmare This is an unfathomable result for the Nittany Lions, who just eight days ago were considered national championship contenders.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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But, for the region, the two-year nightmare may finally be nearing an end.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Nicole finds herself in an all too familiar place for those who have experienced the early phase of young-onset neurological disease, a netherworld between acceptance and denial.—
Gus Alexiou,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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The other two-thirds are on a scale of anxiously hopeful to beyond desperate -- an amorphous netherworld of doubt that, yes, includes the Miami Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa, or should.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Safdie may have found a new way to make a sports drama, one that relies less on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and more on all that is contained in the ambivalent middle.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
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Lessing expresses no regret or agony at her childhood actions, or at what happens next.—
Rebecca van Laer
September 30,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Described as a gritty, modern-day thriller exploring the dangerous underworld of border smuggling, the film’s lead is Esai Morales.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
7 Oct. 2025
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From small-town boy to gang leader Bishnoi’s story didn’t begin in the slums of the criminal underworld.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Red Sox not only broke their World Series curse that year, but went on to defeat the Yankees in the teams' next two postseason battles in 2018 and 2021.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Grudge Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is an American nurse living in Tokyo who is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yes, these Eagles have been to hell.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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The press helped to turn public opinion against the war, not because the press was antiwar or even had a politics but because war is hell, and hell is photogenic.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That’s why, in a sense, Mann views this whole ordeal as a blessing in disguise.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
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Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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