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
Some may one day become movies or TV shows, most will linger forever in studio purgatory, but all were optioned for the screen.
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Simon Van Zuylen-Wood, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
And by 2022, after years in retail purgatory, Abercrombie & Fitch revenues finally rebounded to 2014 levels.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2024
Almost 10 years later, Young Thug is caught in legal purgatory fighting a RICO case brought on by the state of Georgia, and, now, Rich Homie Quan is dead at the age of 34.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2024
Kamala Harris went unmentioned, stuck at the time in the purgatory of veep-dom and not yet the Democratic nominee (and possible first Asian-American president).
—Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for purgatory 
Simon Van Zuylen-Wood, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
And by 2022, after years in retail purgatory, Abercrombie & Fitch revenues finally rebounded to 2014 levels.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2024
Almost 10 years later, Young Thug is caught in legal purgatory fighting a RICO case brought on by the state of Georgia, and, now, Rich Homie Quan is dead at the age of 34.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2024
Kamala Harris went unmentioned, stuck at the time in the purgatory of veep-dom and not yet the Democratic nominee (and possible first Asian-American president).
—Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
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In Nickel Boys, the inferno is called the Nickel Academy and the story zooms in on a friendship between two young men, studious and hopeful Elwood, played by Ethan Herisse, and Brandon Wilson’s more cynical Turner.Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2024
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This is important because any sort of flaw in a battery could lead to an inferno, says Venkat Srinivasan, who studies batteries and directs the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science at the US’s Argonne National Laboratory.Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 15 Sep. 2024
Noun
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While Verstappen has continued to fight at the front despite going three months without a win, Sergio Perez’s nightmare season will in all likelihood cost Red Bull a shot at the title.Dan Cancian, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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The phrase encapsulates the unwavering hope of the Cuban people that their decades-long nightmare under Fidel Castro (and now his successors) will one day end because darkness eventually always yields to light.Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Below that is the Futures tour, tennis’s vast netherworld of more than 2,000 true prospects and hopeless dreamers.Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 8 July 2024
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Tells Real-Life Tales of the Country's Most Notorious Motorcycle Gang 'Dune: Part Two' Is Bigger, Bolder — and Yes, Even Better — Than Part One Lyons’ book also utilized a long, taped conversation with Kathy Bauer, the real-life Benny’s wife, as a dispatch from this dirty-fingernail netherworld.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024
Noun
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Compared to the agony and the ecstasy on display in McQueen’s extraordinary Small Axe compilation, which celebrated the United Kingdom’s diaspora culture while forcing the country to reckon with its institutionally racist past, this might seem like weak tea.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
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The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Set against the backdrop of Corsica in 1995, the narrative follows the father-daughter pair as they’re forced to flee when violence erupts in the criminal underworld.Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024
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As the title indicates, the story centers around Hit-Monkey (Fred Tatasciore), a snow monkey intent on taking out the Tokyo underworld with the help of his mentor, Bryce Fowler (Jason Sudeikis).Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the affable Williams and Knight — whose The Real Brady Bros podcast relives every episode — to talk Brady Bunch auditions, Ann B. Davis’ comic timing and those pesky Hawaiian curses.Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
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Several generations of the Buendía lineage will mark the future of this mythical town, tormented by madness, impossible loves, a bloody and absurd war, and the fear of a terrible curse that condemns them, without hope, to one hundred years of solitude.Dana Feldman, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Not-so-happy couple Anne (Synnøve Karlsen) and Patrick (Luke Norris) go on the ultimate hell ride with a gregarious, over-sharing driver (Nick Frost, living it up here).Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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So, the ex-lovers strike a deal: If Agatha can get Billy to willingly turn himself in and let Rio kill him, then Rio will stop pursuing Agatha and making her life hell.Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Garcia was a star before the ordeal with Haney, and like it or not, his profile has grown since the fiasco.Brian Mazique, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
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When four men come through an ordeal like ours with nothing worse than a few bruises, it can hardly be called less than a miracle.Orval C. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near purgatory
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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