purgatory
noun
pur·ga·to·ry
ˈpər-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 
plural purgatories
1
: an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification
specifically
: a place or state of punishment wherein according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven
2
: a place or state of temporary suffering or misery
Did you know?
Purgatory is the place where the soul is cleansed of all impurities, as Dante described in his great poem The Divine Comedy. Today purgatory can refer to any place or situation in which suffering and misery are felt to be sharp but temporary. Waiting to hear the results of a test, or whether you got a good job, can be a purgatory. And an endless after-dinner speech can make an entire roomful of people feel as if they're in purgatory.
Examples of purgatory in a Sentence
the purgatory of drug abuse
The marathons were jokingly referred to as one-day purgatories.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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.
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
Cite this Entry
“Purgatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purgatory. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
purgatory
noun
pur·ga·to·ry
ˈpər-gə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
plural purgatories
: a state after death in which according to Roman Catholic belief the souls of those who die in God's grace are purified of their sins by suffering
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share