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
Later, in 2013, when running the label Radius-TWC for The Weinstein Co., Quinn rescued Bong’s film Snowpiercer from purgatory.
—
Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Years of grinding have led them all to this point, with the end of the Championship purgatory in sight.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Heroic lead character and longshoreman Terry Malloy stands up to rackets boss Johnny Friendly, gets beaten bloody, and in the final reel leads his fellow longshoremen back into the brutal purgatory of the big city docks.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
This stock remains in break-up purgatory as investors wait for the company’s electronics division to be formally spun off.
—Kevin Stankiewicz,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Years of grinding have led them all to this point, with the end of the Championship purgatory in sight.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Heroic lead character and longshoreman Terry Malloy stands up to rackets boss Johnny Friendly, gets beaten bloody, and in the final reel leads his fellow longshoremen back into the brutal purgatory of the big city docks.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
This stock remains in break-up purgatory as investors wait for the company’s electronics division to be formally spun off.
—Kevin Stankiewicz,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
-
Gigantic yacht scorched by inferno outside Miami strip club.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The lines takes on a fresh resonance in the wake of January’s infernos.—
Stephen Humphries,
The Christian Science Monitor,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
For Prince’s team, the damning press was a waking nightmare.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
-
As a quiet panic becomes obvious in Ryan’s eyes, the happy return begins to feel like a nightmare.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Great vacations exist in a temporal netherworld, unmoored from the reality of daily life.—
Sofia Perez,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Another video showed a woman wailing in agony over one of the victims.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
-
On a nation’s struggle and agony; the nature of democracy; Trump vs. Canada; and more On Monday, next to the Hudson River in New York, there was a demonstration.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Described as a figure reminiscent of Robert De Niro's Jimmy the Gent from Goodfellas, the protagonist navigates a turbulent era, battling rival factions to seize control of the Hawaiian underworld.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The film premieres March 15 at the Roxy Cinema in New York, and stars Dario Yazbek Bernal and Jack Irv as two lovers whose whirlwind romance sends them down a rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Then, Democrats have to be thinking about what happens if Republicans only have a mild case of the midterm curse.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Flubber can do anything, which is both a blessing and a curse for Professor Brainard.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Good intentions pave the road to hell, and all that jazz.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Season 2 has built on these relatable themes, introducing race as a key factor within the creepy, hollow corporate hell that is Lumon.—
Banseka Kayembe,
refinery29.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The duration of that ordeal is utterly unpredictable.—
Joshua Stein,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
With rich archival footage and powerful testimonies, the film highlights not only the personal ordeal of an activist, but also the tenacious struggle of Native Americans for justice, freedom and restoration of historical truth.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share