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
So, how are members supposed to react to the spin purgatory?
—
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 May 2025
In some industries, startups that once might have raised funding in days now sit in purgatory for months.
—Michael Johnson, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Another 15 individuals also stuck in baseball purgatory are off the list, with Black Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte and New York Giants center fielder Benny Kauff, the latter banned by Kenesaw Mountain Landis over an auto theft charge for which he was acquitted, having careers worthy of consideration.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 14 May 2025
Regardless of what’s keeping indicators in purgatory, business-friendly Republicans have two ways of dealing with it: eliminating the uncertainty that’s within their control — which means passing a tax bill — and getting accustomed to the rest.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 May 2025
In some industries, startups that once might have raised funding in days now sit in purgatory for months.
—Michael Johnson, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Another 15 individuals also stuck in baseball purgatory are off the list, with Black Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte and New York Giants center fielder Benny Kauff, the latter banned by Kenesaw Mountain Landis over an auto theft charge for which he was acquitted, having careers worthy of consideration.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 14 May 2025
Regardless of what’s keeping indicators in purgatory, business-friendly Republicans have two ways of dealing with it: eliminating the uncertainty that’s within their control — which means passing a tax bill — and getting accustomed to the rest.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for purgatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatory
Noun
-
Taylor Swift poured tanks of gasoline on social media, struck a match and lit the internet in an inferno of excitement.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
13 Aug. 2025
-
It is not yet known whether the person died in the inferno or drowned.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Sure to rattle the cages of our Puritanical nightmare country.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 Aug. 2025
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Alongside the grief and pain, his return provides some comfort to the family after 692 days of waiting in the nightmare of uncertainty.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Nicole finds herself in an all too familiar place for those who have experienced the early phase of young-onset neurological disease, a netherworld between acceptance and denial.—
Gus Alexiou,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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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
Noun
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For many, the relationship with tequila ended in their early 20s with promises made to some dormitory deity — often made of porcelain — to end a miserable night’s agony.—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
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My wing-scarfing strategy was to plow through as many as possible before the agony set in, then survive the remainder without committing the day-ruining error of touching my eyes.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But if such factors tempered the public’s instinct to rush to the harshest judgments, the ordeal also revealed how the corporatization of sports betting had done little to snuff out a secretive underworld estimated to be responsible for $64 billion in illicit wagers annually.—
DAVID AMSDEN,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
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Our president follows the business model of the Mafia underworld, which is extortion.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Set-pieces: a blessing and a curse Barcelona scored 14 goals from corners in La Liga and the Champions League last season.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
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Such an inheritance can in some ways be a curse, according to former Ald.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The situation becomes actual hell after Laura dies by suicide and begins to haunt the house.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
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But at some point, Chicago is going to have to be more intentional in making bigger moves that can get it out of Play-In round hell.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Contrast that with today’s college move-in days, which involve whole families helping the college student—and so much stuff U-Haul has an entire section of its website devoted to the ordeal… er, experience.—
Catherine Salfino,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Aug. 2025
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In the interview, Dunst shared that the medical ordeal took place while Plemons, 37, and their children were staying with her in the Hungarian capital.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatory. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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