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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Recent Examples of purgatory
Elite Problems: Stanford and its NIL purgatory A few days ago, the Stanford football Instagram account posted a fun video of program legend and current general manager Andrew Luck making calls to season ticket holders.
—
Chris Branch, New York Times, 1 May 2025
All of this leaves their professional pride, self-esteem and passion to deliver workplace equity in a state of purgatory.
—Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
In a show that may or may not be set in purgatory, or heaven, or something else entirely, a twin reveal raises the question, Is Merrill a vision of Max’s future or his path not taken?
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
But buzz, within a few years, vibrated with anger, his franchise stuck in purgatory.
•••
For six months out of 12 over the last few years, Lieberman took the unusual step of moving himself and his wife to a rental property in Jacksonville five minutes away from Engram.
—Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Chris Branch, New York Times, 1 May 2025
All of this leaves their professional pride, self-esteem and passion to deliver workplace equity in a state of purgatory.
—Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
In a show that may or may not be set in purgatory, or heaven, or something else entirely, a twin reveal raises the question, Is Merrill a vision of Max’s future or his path not taken?
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025
But buzz, within a few years, vibrated with anger, his franchise stuck in purgatory.
•••
For six months out of 12 over the last few years, Lieberman took the unusual step of moving himself and his wife to a rental property in Jacksonville five minutes away from Engram.
—Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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The ensuing inferno was hot enough that any evidence of the lab’s purpose seemed to have burned away.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
22 May 2025
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But after being asked in several emails by an editorial writer if the L.A. inferno showed the need for a triage approach, a spokesperson for Mayor Todd Gloria defended his handling of the fire threat.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Saving him and others is their work Pratt & Whitney union votes to approve new contract, end strike Private equity created a ‘nightmare’ in CT hospitals, staff say.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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Watching the men who trusted him to lead them home devoured by monsters or crushed by clashing rocks was not a fairytale, but a nightmare.—
Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Noun
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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
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But the film comes into its own at almost exactly an hour, as The Man begins the ritual and The Surrender threatens to go full occult gonzo, complete with a charmed circle and a bleak netherworld resembling Lucio Fulci’s 1981 splatter epic The Beyond.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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At this point in the narrative, when Mike is sentenced to 14 months jail time, more conventional addiction dramas would dig into the trauma of incarceration and the agony of substance withdrawal.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
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One young man described the particular agony of being placed carelessly in a wheelchair and forced to sit for hours atop his testicles.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Caught Stealing stars Butler as Hank Thompson, a down-on-his-luck former baseball player who is suddenly immersed in the New York City crime underworld in the late 1990s.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
21 May 2025
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There’s nothing wrong with a performer of Cruise's stature and charisma grappling with darkness and ambiguity in this way — in the past that resulted in one of his best, most misunderstood performances, as a doctor slipping down into a moral underworld in Eyes Wide Shut.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Christopher Walken stars as a school teacher who comes out of a coma with a gift that feels more like a terrifying curse.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
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While Rory McIlroy finally broke his 11-year curse to claim the green jacket, Bradley struggled, missing the cut with a 3-over-par.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Whether a dream or not, Devon’s definitely in her own personal hell.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
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Voters from the United States to the Netherlands have installed far right-wing, anti-immigration, anti-people governments hell bent on punishing migration via the most inhumane measures imaginable.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Following the ordeal, Jung couldn't resist reliving the experience and sharing it on social media.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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At least 30 people were stranded more than 50 feet in the air during a terrifying ordeal at an amusement park.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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