purgatorial

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.

Of all the offices a person might be required to visit, the Department of Motor Vehicles, with its purgatorial air, has one of the worst reputations.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2025

It feels even more pertinent knowing the organization’s purgatorial position in the standings makes the choice on whether to buy, sell or stand pat by the Aug. 1 trade deadline especially daunting.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 29, 2023

It makes total sense that anyone would feel relieved with the death of someone they loved and had a complicated relationship because they're no longer in that purgatorial space with them.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2022

Is he killed by the man in the Members Only jacket, or does he go on to live in a purgatorial state of constant paranoia and vigilance?

From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2021

A little later, downstairs in the lobby, which looked like some purgatorial setting, Nazario had assembled most of the tenants.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez