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
This was the Burnett that gained a kind of cult fame, the filmmaker in middle age, treading purgatory.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
More than two hours of looking at the fey-preppy outfit costume designer Sara Ryung Clement prepared for Horowitz’s Josh becomes a kind of fashion purgatory for audience and protagonist alike.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
For some, Martin’s legacy will prompt assessments of playoff droughts and lottery purgatory, and that’s fine and fair.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Note: Some shows are in a sort of weird purgatory between media blackout and availability, like WKRP in Cincinnati; only the first season is available — for digital purchase — through Apple TV.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
More than two hours of looking at the fey-preppy outfit costume designer Sara Ryung Clement prepared for Horowitz’s Josh becomes a kind of fashion purgatory for audience and protagonist alike.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
For some, Martin’s legacy will prompt assessments of playoff droughts and lottery purgatory, and that’s fine and fair.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Note: Some shows are in a sort of weird purgatory between media blackout and availability, like WKRP in Cincinnati; only the first season is available — for digital purchase — through Apple TV.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
-
Just like the companies who sparked a blaze, the fossil fuel industry bears responsibility for contributing to the soaring high temperatures and drier atmosphere that turn a routine forest fire into a blazing inferno.—
Chris Lee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
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The issue was brought to his attention by reporting from The Bee and other news outlets highlighting a stark difference between state and federal law concerning who can be licensed to work with high-grade explosives like those that sparked an inferno in Esparto on July 1.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
On top of the bathroom problems, the man says the kitchen is also a nightmare thanks to Jerry and Daisy, who leave dirty dishes around.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
27 July 2025
-
Even with my healthcare connections, advocating for her as a patient was a nightmare.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
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 twin netherworlds—named after the mythical Greek god of the underworld and the pilot who shuttled souls across the river Styx—circle more than five billion kilometers distant from the sun, along an orbit that Stern’s Pluto expedition took nine years to reach.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
With his wife in agony, Jason Nixdorf had a chance encounter with Zach Veigulis, a former chief data scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs who was co-founding a company to help patients battle insurance company denials.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
18 July 2025
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Thank God that my family members could get vaccinated and have been free of the pain and agony of these illnesses.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Critics, among them Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, have claimed Maxwell’s father held ties to the Mossad, arguing that Epstein was involved in a shadowy underworld connected to an intelligence apparatus.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
22 July 2025
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Pulp Fiction, about two hitmen — portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta — and how their exploits intersect with the lives of a cast of characters existing in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, also stars Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
This is both a blessing and a curse in the list production process.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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And after that, the Kennedy curse became this sort of wide-ranging explanation for a lot of things that were happening.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
People.com,
16 July 2025
Noun
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Life behind bars was pure hell for Mr. Fields who also suffered from mental illness.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
Most of Hollywood is development hell, with the occasional break.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Although prosecutors dropped all criminal trespassing charges, students say the ordeal left them traumatized, diminished their work ethic and deteriorated their mental health.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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What began as a lighthearted moment among friends turned into a months-long ordeal for Deborah Cobb of Seattle, when cartwheels on the beach left her unable to see.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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