purgatory
n. uncountablen. a place or state of suffering where you have to wait for a long time. It is often used to describe a boring or difficult situation that feels like it will never end.
n. a state of temporary suffering or misery; in Roman Catholic theology, an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification. Frequently used metaphorically to describe any situation involving prolonged suspense or unpleasantness.
Waiting for the test results was absolute purgatory.
Stuck in the airport for twelve hours with no information, the passengers felt they were in a kind of travel purgatory.
The protagonist spends the middle chapters in a psychological purgatory, unable to reconcile his past mistakes with his hopes for a future beyond the city walls.
From Middle English purgatorie, from Old French purgatore, purgatorie, from Latin purgātōrium (“cleansing”). Cognate to English purge.
Often used without an article in the theological sense, but frequently takes 'a' or 'a kind of' in metaphorical usage.