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
But like everything else with this latest vintage of Golden State basketball, we are left to wait in the purgatory of the offseason.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
The timing of Promising Young Woman, premiering to big buzz at Sundance in 2020 and then languishing in pandemic purgatory before ultimately getting dumped onto VOD, was a disappointment.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Big tech pivots The AI boom rescued China’s big tech companies from years of regulatory purgatory.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Fail to heed the instructions, and you’ll be trapped in this urban purgatory with no way out.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
The timing of Promising Young Woman, premiering to big buzz at Sundance in 2020 and then languishing in pandemic purgatory before ultimately getting dumped onto VOD, was a disappointment.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Big tech pivots The AI boom rescued China’s big tech companies from years of regulatory purgatory.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Fail to heed the instructions, and you’ll be trapped in this urban purgatory with no way out.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
-
Pratt took aim at Bass over the lack of water available during the inferno, with fire hydrants running dry.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Chile’s inferno was fueled by extreme heat, with temperatures pushing above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and abnormally dry conditions — but it was also driven by human changes to the landscape.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On paper, the Pistons are a nightmare matchup for the Knicks.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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On sacrificio, Garbán leads the way through an underworld fantasy and nightmare, using the night as a canvas for disruption, chaos, and softness.—
Marcos Sanoja,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Noun
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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
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Now, in an age of instant communications, their Cold War counterparts could nonetheless disappear into a covert netherworld, loosening Washington’s controls and freeing them to plot coups, mobilize armies, and install governments.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hidden is the agony of parents mourning the loss of their babies.—
Duaa Eldeib,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
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This multi-generational story explores the beauty, agony, and hilarity of loving other people deeply.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The titular vampire gang has formed a band, and when its members start to shred, the stage sinks down to create a mosh pit—a hellish underworld into which victims later drop.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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There, he gradually gets caught up in the criminal underworld that hijacked the country’s privatization following the collapse of the Soviet Union.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Baseball has always been a sport that believes in the occult — in juju and curses and superstitions.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
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Mike Russo writes that, in breaking their curse, the Wild may have their best shot at a title in franchise history.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
This autumn, though, the feminist alt-rock icons are finally giving us one hell of a sonic supernova.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
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But, this specific adaptation could be equally advantaged by presenting an imagined hell within our lesser, present one.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Krakauer survived a deadly ordeal on Everest—a high price to pay for a remarkable book.—
Dan Zak,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
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The ordeal, which exposed fierce acrimony between House and Senate Republicans, left thousands of workers without pay, upended air travel and jeopardized Americans' safety.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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