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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nightmare
a place or state of temporary suffering
We found ourselves trapped in the purgatory of a rush-hour traffic jam.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purgatory
At last look, the Blackhawks and White Sox were still in the early stages of their rebuilds, while the Bulls remained stuck in rebuild purgatory, waiting for a trade of Zach LaVine to kick things off.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
Indulgences are pardons believed to eliminate earthly suffering or time in purgatory – where the Catholic Church teaches that people who have confessed their sins are purified before entering heaven.
—Heidi A. Campbell, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
The small university tucked into Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood moved up from Division II to Division I in the summer of 2022, and right after that took its place in purgatory.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2025
Some other taxpayers just miss a form to end up in audit purgatory.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025
Indulgences are pardons believed to eliminate earthly suffering or time in purgatory – where the Catholic Church teaches that people who have confessed their sins are purified before entering heaven.
—Heidi A. Campbell, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
The small university tucked into Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood moved up from Division II to Division I in the summer of 2022, and right after that took its place in purgatory.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2025
Some other taxpayers just miss a form to end up in audit purgatory.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
-
The inferno that raged across the Palisades on Jan. 7 took thousands of homes and several lives.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Despite tens of billions of dollars spent so far in California alone to reduce the risk of electric ignition, last month's infernos suggest that much more needs to be done to make sure the electric grid does not contribute to more tragedy.—
Jeff Young,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Dorr is a technical executive with the Electric Power Research Institute, where he gets paid to think about the nightmare scenarios for electrical equipment fires and test ways to prevent them.—
Jeff Young,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Marshmallow centers on Morgan (played by Kue Lawrence), an introverted 12-year-old suffering from nightmares who heads to a secluded summer camp.—
Ryan Gajewski,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Great vacations exist in a temporal netherworld, unmoored from the reality of daily life.—
Sofia Perez,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2025
-
The same netherworld where Julien enjoyed torturing Cortland during his statue days.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Challenges of rebuilding Victims who lost homes will be faced with the decision whether to rebuild — which can be agony.—
Tony Saavedra,
Orange County Register,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Then, Cara’s killshot was followed by her screams of agony at her dire circumstances.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Together the two enter a whirlwind romance sending them down the rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Along their journey, Majima and his crew come into the crosshairs of the criminal pirate underworld of Madlantis, setting the stage for a level of cartoonishness that would be considered kind of ridiculous, even for this franchise’s standards.—
Isaiah Colbert,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The Chinese Communist Party is a curse upon the earth.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Finishing fifth — or even fourth, as Liverpool managed last season — has historically been a bit of a curse, with teams struggling to build on their successes.—
Jessy Parker Humphreys,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This would be fine in previous seasons, where the ’90s storyline propelled each episode with fresh hell in every episode.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
14 Feb. 2025
-
The Cowboys seem to be more concerned about the possibility of cap hell than exhausting every last resource to win now.—
Jon Machota,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
As DeJonge’s family awaits word about their loved one, Alysia offers one major takeaway from the ordeal.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Manchester City also expressed full support for their star forward during the ordeal.—
Oumou Fofana,
Essence,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share