purgatory
noun
pur·ga·to·ry
ˈpər-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 
plural purgatories
1
: an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification
specifically
: a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven
2
: a place or state of temporary suffering or misery
Did you know?
Purgatory is the place where the soul is cleansed of all impurities, as Dante described in his great poem The Divine Comedy. Today purgatory can refer to any place or situation in which suffering and misery are felt to be sharp but temporary. Waiting to hear the results of a test, or whether you got a good job, can be a purgatory. And an endless after-dinner speech can make an entire roomful of people feel as if they're in purgatory.
Examples of purgatory in a Sentence
the purgatory of drug abuse
The marathons were jokingly referred to as one-day purgatories.
Recent Examples on the Web
Miami presently is in play-in tournament purgatory but — having begun a stretch of nine of 10 and 14 of 17 games at home — certainly will have the chance to rise into the Eastern Conference’s top six and avoid the play-in.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
Later, in 2013, when running the label Radius-TWC for The Weinstein Co., Quinn rescued Bong’s film Snowpiercer from purgatory.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Years of grinding have led them all to this point, with the end of the Championship purgatory in sight.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Heroic lead character and longshoreman Terry Malloy stands up to rackets boss Johnny Friendly, gets beaten bloody, and in the final reel leads his fellow longshoremen back into the brutal purgatory of the big city docks.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
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Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
Later, in 2013, when running the label Radius-TWC for The Weinstein Co., Quinn rescued Bong’s film Snowpiercer from purgatory.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Years of grinding have led them all to this point, with the end of the Championship purgatory in sight.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Heroic lead character and longshoreman Terry Malloy stands up to rackets boss Johnny Friendly, gets beaten bloody, and in the final reel leads his fellow longshoremen back into the brutal purgatory of the big city docks.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purgatory. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
purgatory
noun
pur·ga·to·ry
ˈpər-gə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
plural purgatories
: a state after death in which according to Roman Catholic belief the souls of those who die in God's grace are purified of their sins by suffering
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