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 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
Or, worst of all, nothing changes—and your team slips into performance purgatory.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
In investment circles, the phenomenon is known as spin purgatory.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
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
Or, worst of all, nothing changes—and your team slips into performance purgatory.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
In investment circles, the phenomenon is known as spin purgatory.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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Climate change is a major contributor, as drought and rising global temperatures make the infernos bigger, faster and harder to stop.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
3 July 2025
-
And days before the Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah in March 2022, the Houthi rebels fired a missile at an oil storage facility in the Saudi city and an inferno of fire and smoke filled the skyline.—
Dina Esfandiary,
Time,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
What follows is a floor-by-floor descent into madness as Bobby battles bloodthirsty perverts, demonic flash mobs, and hallucinogenic suburban nightmares, all while trying to figure out if he’s meant to be the hero… or just the last guy standing.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
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However, experts are sounding the alarm on one type of photo that could turn a dream vacation into a travel nightmare.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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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Meanwhile, Joseph writhes in the agony of his own newfound girl craziness (and cleavage obsession).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
7 July 2025
-
Williams was never offered any other clear pathway to finding relief—even as the agony from her fibroids was getting worse.—
Kayla Greaves,
SELF,
3 July 2025
Noun
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Over the years, the building trade had brought him into contact with Liverpool’s criminal underworld.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
-
Director’s Cut: Dive into the gritty underworld of 1988 Japan in this definitive edition of Yakuza 0.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Ancient 'pharaoh's curse' fungus shows promise in killing cancer cells.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2025
-
The song breaks Booth's life-defining generational curse.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Art the Clown is going to raise hell as the Terrifier film franchise comes to Halloween Horror Nights for the first time.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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What fresh hell will Wednesday’s Grandmama (the Absolutely Fabulous Joanna Lumley) raise at Nevermore?—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
9 July 2025
Noun
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The ordeal happened at Carver’s Gap, near the North Carolina-Tennessee border and a roughly 65-mile drive northeast from Asheville.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 July 2025
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The ordeal raised questions about the efficacy of the Omnilert system.—
Rachel Wegner,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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