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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Recent Examples of purgatory
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
Still others, like Joey Bragg, who spent four teenage years starring opposite Dove Cameron on Disney’s Liv and Maddie, end up stuck in fame’s purgatory, underemployed in Hollywood but still recognizable enough to draw attention while, say, applying for a gig as a door-to-door solar salesman.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
That chance for impact had slipped away in Cleveland as the Browns returned to quarterback purgatory.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
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
Still others, like Joey Bragg, who spent four teenage years starring opposite Dove Cameron on Disney’s Liv and Maddie, end up stuck in fame’s purgatory, underemployed in Hollywood but still recognizable enough to draw attention while, say, applying for a gig as a door-to-door solar salesman.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
That chance for impact had slipped away in Cleveland as the Browns returned to quarterback purgatory.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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The inferno killed 12 people, destroyed more than 6,500 structures across the Palisades and Malibu and caused billions of dollars in damage.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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The complaints also allege that sparking or downed power lines exacerbated the inferno.—
Tony Saavedra,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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As the noise-rap-electro act Jane Remover shrieked and pleaded through a 90-minute marathon set at the Fonda on Thursday night, one very young couple dressed right out of a conservative‘s nightmare — gender-ambiguous, purple hair, facial piercings — tapped me on the shoulder.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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The killing scenes of the regime were so fresh in my nightmares when the war began and now the sound of airstrikes and fighter jets added to them.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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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
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The rules of this netherworld announce themselves, early on, via a nondescript wall sign.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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And your character is in such agony.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Noun
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The show, which starts in 1977 in Naples, follows Pietro Savastano – a tough city kid from a poor neighborhood – who is set to enter the criminal underworld as a means of survival.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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The shooters in the deadly K Street massacre moved within the complex orbit of criminal gangs and their offshoots that make up Sacramento’s underworld, an expert on the capital city’s gang culture testified Monday.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The pressure that comes with ending a beloved TV show is both a blessing and a curse.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
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Their greatest gifts are their biggest curses.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Tuesday, the Warriors got a hell of a lot smarter, a hell of a lot tougher, and infinitely better.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
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Peristere does his best to re-establish the series’ rhythms before all watery hell breaks loose.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Noun
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In the years since the tragic sequence of events, Griffin has attempted to move forward, but the ordeal still follows him.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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Judge Andrew Fishkin’s ruling probably ends a months-long ordeal for the California woman, one of thousands adopted from abroad who were never granted citizenship because of bureaucratic loopholes between adoption and immigration law.—
Claire Galofaro,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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