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
For enterprises stuck in pilot purgatory, that’s a wake-up call.
—
Steve Wilson, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
For some, an Observer investigation previously found, jail purgatory like his can last more than 10 years.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
More Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images With only one year left on his deal with Racing Bulls, and the Red Bull higher-ups not favoring him for a senior team race seat, Tsunoda looked to be in a driver's purgatory, seemingly on the shop window for another team.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
The Colts are stuck in QB purgatory unless Anthony Richardson engineers a massive turnaround.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Steve Wilson, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
For some, an Observer investigation previously found, jail purgatory like his can last more than 10 years.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
More Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images With only one year left on his deal with Racing Bulls, and the Red Bull higher-ups not favoring him for a senior team race seat, Tsunoda looked to be in a driver's purgatory, seemingly on the shop window for another team.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
The Colts are stuck in QB purgatory unless Anthony Richardson engineers a massive turnaround.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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The rain, along with a phalanx of firefighters, wasn’t enough to stop the inferno that resulted.—
Tony Sachs,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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To the north, firefighters have had more luck against the Zogg Fire, a similarly fast-moving inferno that has killed four people.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The stage was set for another installment of Scott’s recurring nightmare.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Pixels continue to receive OS upgrades months before Samsungs, a continuing nightmare for the brand.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 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
-
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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Americans can channel the collective agony and frustration to encourage meaningful change, cooling down the division, making gun laws safer, opening genuinely constructive discussions, informing the public about the risks and calling on lawmakers to take real action.—
Arash Javanbakht,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
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Other paintings by those presently or formerly incarcerated reflect on the agony of prison itself.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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During one storyline, Angela travels to the Norse underworld known as Hel to resurrect Sera after her death.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
9 Sep. 2025
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He is soon pulled into an underworld of drugs, violence, escalating dangers and missing bodies.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some monks who were once forced off the island put a curse on it and everyone who ever took anything away from it.—
Sara Stridsberg
September 15,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
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When her curse begins to affect her physically, Amada travels to the Abyss to seek a cure from the Grand Warlock.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Aerosmith might’ve retired from touring, but the unit that performed on-stage Wednesday night set the tone for one hell of an evening of rock & roll.—
John Lonsdale,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
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At 0-2 now with a Thursday night game at nemesis Buffalo fast looming, all is closer to hell than well for Miami.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Osaka released a statement expressing the hope that both parties can find solutions to this controversial ordeal in the future.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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The entire ordeal, said Dor’s sister Guirlene Dorelus, has been painful.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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