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Showing results for purgatory. Search instead for purgator.
Definitions

purgatory

[pur-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈpɜr gəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /
NOUN
hell
Synonyms
STRONGEST
limbo
STRONG
Gehenna Hades abyss perdition pit suffering underworld
WEAK
Abaddon bottomless pit everlasting fire fire and brimstone infernal regions lower world nether world place of torment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Big picture: The job market is stuck in a purgatory of sorts — it’s not getting any better, but it’s also not getting worse.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

Alonso's career, meanwhile, became a kind of living purgatory.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Ultimately, it’s an opportunity that could one day dwarf the auto business—and a chance to escape the purgatory they have been in for decades.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

The Dodgers rescued him from purgatory in Anaheim and surrounded him with a star-studded roster, and now he makes more money from pitching products than pitching baseballs.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2025

The whole time I’ve been in Indiana, which is all my life— the purgatory years, I call them—we’ve apparently lived just eleven miles away from the highest point in the state.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven