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Definition of purgatory noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    purgatory

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˈpərɡəˌtɔri//
     
    [uncountable]
     
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  1. 1Purgatory (in Roman Catholic teaching) a place or state in which the souls of dead people suffer for the bad things they did when they were living, so that they can become pure enough to go to heaven
  2. 2(informal) (humorous) any place or state of suffering Getting up at four o'clock every morning is sheer purgatory.
See purgatory in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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