PURGATORY

[noun] [U] - the place to which Roman Catholics believe that the spirits of dead people go and suffer for the evil acts that they did while they were alive, before they are able to go to heavenThe priest asked the members of his congregation to pray for the souls of people in Purgatory.(informal) Purgatory is also an extremely unpleasant experience which causes suffering.He described his experience of combat in Vietnam as sheer purgatory.The parents of the missing child have been going through purgatory for the last few days.(humorous) I've been on a diet for two weeks now, and it's purgatory!