Synonyms of crucible

crucible

noun

ˈkrü-sə-bəl 

as in ordeal

a test of faith, patience, or strength

soldiers who had withstood the crucible of war

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ordeal
• fire
• gauntlet
• trial
• cross
• baptism of fire
• initiation
• baptism
• tragedy
• hardship
• adversity
• misfortune
• challenge
• tribulation
• grievance
• grief
• privation
• trouble
• woe
• mishap
• vicissitude
• difficulty
• acid test
• misadventure
• litmus test
• rigor
• affliction
• discomfort
• inconvenience
• complication
• mischance
• asperity
• nuisance
• annoyance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crucible

Through the highs and lows, though, what The Bear always understood really well is the allure of the crucible. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 June 2026

Each member derives her own realizations from this experience, with its dual crucibles of grindingly hard work and pop adulation. — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 25 June 2026

Now, 10 years to the day after the Brexit vote and with six prime ministers having been felled by economic and political turbulence, the country once again looks to a new leader — and back to the crucible that helped set it on this torrid journey. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 23 June 2026

Matt Freese is the latest to be thrown into that crucible. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026

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