purgatory

American  

[pur-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈpɜr gəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

• purgatories
  plural

1. (in the belief of Roman Catholics and others) a condition or place in which the souls of those dying penitent are purified from venial sins, or undergo the temporal punishment that, after the guilt of mortal sin has been remitted, still remains to be endured by the sinner.

2. Italian Purgatorio. (initial capital letter, italics) the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the repentant sinners are depicted.

3. any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation, or the like.

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adjective

1. serving to cleanse, purify, or expiate.

purgatory British  

/ ˈpɜːɡətərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. RC Church a state or place in which the souls of those who have died in a state of grace are believed to undergo a limited amount of suffering to expiate their venial sins and become purified of the remaining effects of mortal sin

2. a place or condition of suffering or torment, esp one that is temporary

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purgatory Cultural  

1. In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the condition of souls of the dead who die with some punishment (though not damnation) due them for their sins. Purgatory is conceived as a condition of suffering and purification that leads to union with God in heaven. Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible (see also Bible); Catholic authorities defend the teaching on purgatory by arguing that prayer for the dead is an ancient practice of Christianity and that this practice assumes that the dead can be in a state of suffering — a state that the living can improve by their prayers.

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Discover More

A “purgatory” is, by extension, any place of suffering, usually for past misdeeds.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• purgatories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of purgatory

First recorded in 1175–1225; (for the noun) Middle English purgatorie, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin pūrgātōrium, noun use of neuter of Late Latin pūrgātōrius “purging,” from pūrgā(re) “to purge” ( see purge) + -tōrius -tory ¹; adjective derivative of the noun

Explanation

Being stuck in standstill traffic can feel like purgatory, but this brief spell of unpleasantness is nothing compared to the misery endured by souls waiting to get into heaven, which is the original meaning of the word. Purgatory comes from a Late Latin verb meaning "to cleanse" — purge shares the same root. In Roman Catholic doctrine, souls atoned for past sins in purgatory before entering heaven. In fact, for centuries, purgatory was often regarded as an actual physical place. Today, if you say you are in purgatory, you feel stuck or not able to continue towards a goal. High school might feel like purgatory because even though you're finished with your carefree childhood, you don't have the freedoms of adulthood yet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purgatory purgatories

Julian initially hoped to see hell and purgatory in her “showings” but her wishes are not granted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Acme has spent the past several years in cinematic purgatory after its original studio tried to bury it for a tax write-off.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

While this purgatory may not rattle the market like last year’s tariff battles, it will be an irritant for sectors reliant on the relationship such as autos, metals and agriculture.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Realism is achieved not through bare-bones scenic furniture but through the combustible relationships of characters who exist with one another in a purgatory of disillusionment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

I can accept purgatory if heaven is beyond it.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

He could ask Washingtonians and Puerto Ricans for forgiveness over not righting their untenable political purgatories.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2024

Like a rich novel, “About Dry Grasses” takes its time fleshing out its central players, who are each grappling with their own metaphorical purgatories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2024

Treasury officials, who are trying to brace the public for refund delays, service disruptions, interminable telephone-hold purgatories and other unpleasantries that taxpayers will face over the next few months.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2022

Port representatives would sail by dinghy to receive it, then direct passengers of suspect ships to purgatories where they would be quarantined.

From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2021

The unctuous plausibility of the pretense that prisons are beneficent purgatories and not hells renders it the more sickening.

From The Subterranean Brotherhood by Julian Hawthorne

Related Words

• limbo