as in fire
a test of faith, patience, or strength
the hikers were finally rescued after a three-day ordeal in the wilderness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ordeal
And though the legal process has been a huge ordeal, Cahall’s nowhere near giving up the good fight.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
In today’s housing market, even the lucky ones often face exhausting ordeals and need to stretch their budgets to land a home.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Kathya still tears up talking about Katy’s ordeal, the slow road to recovery and how their lives were shattered that evening, a day that had begun with joy, a celebration with her best friends, many of whom grew up on the waterways in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
What should have been a simple check-in turned into a stressful ordeal at the port.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
In today’s housing market, even the lucky ones often face exhausting ordeals and need to stretch their budgets to land a home.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Kathya still tears up talking about Katy’s ordeal, the slow road to recovery and how their lives were shattered that evening, a day that had begun with joy, a celebration with her best friends, many of whom grew up on the waterways in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
What should have been a simple check-in turned into a stressful ordeal at the port.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordeal
Noun
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Then the 23-year-old's plane suddenly dove straight into the ground and caught on fire.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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The film recreates the circumstances that surrounded Hind Rajab’s actual killing in January 2024, in which Red Crescent volunteers struggled to send an ambulance to rescue the child, who was trapped under fire in Gaza.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Then they're run a gantlet of exams and years of training, amid constant scrutiny and with patients' lives on the line.—
Charlotte Huff,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
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Fans of 29 other teams wouldn't enjoy the sight of LA adding another stone to its rotation infinity gauntlet, but the Dodgers aren't in the business of letting their competition keep up.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Alex killed Maggie and Paul to both cover up his financial crimes and to stop them from coming up in Paul's pending trial.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Williams, while concluding the trial, brought up the incident and accused Dennis of felonies, the lawsuit says.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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No 10 Justin Devenny, with a free header from Guehi’s inswinging cross, fails to hit the target.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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The seeds could grow into something that looks nothing like the original because of cross-breeding in the pumpkin patch.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ordeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordeal. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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