crucible
noun
Tom Wolfe
Did you know?
Unless you’re studying Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in school, it may not be crucial to learn the story behind crucible, but it can’t hurt! Crucible looks like it should be closely related to the Latin combining form cruc- (“cross”); however, unlike crucial, it isn’t. It was forged instead from the Medieval Latin crucibulum, a noun for an earthen pot used to melt metals, and in English it first referred to a vessel made of a very heat-resistant material (such as porcelain) used for melting a substance that requires a high degree of heat. It’s possible that the resemblance between cruc- and crucible encouraged people to start using crucible to mean “a severe trial,” as that sense is synonymous with one meaning of cross, but the idea of simmering in a literal crucible also sounds plenty severe. The newest sense of crucible (“a situation in which great changes take place,” as in “forged in the crucible of war”) recalls the fire and heat required to transform some solids into liquids.
Examples of crucible in a Sentence
Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Every lesson learned in the crucible of motocross will refine future production motorcycles and, crucially, expand the vibrant community of Ducatisti, inviting new enthusiasts.
—Shelby Knick, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Right now, school officials are also in a crucible of sorts, under new scrutiny as Trump administration orders impact the United States Military Academy.
—Brianna Keilar, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
That affects all of us here, because art is the crucible that brings people together, like tonight.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for crucible
Cite this Entry
“Crucible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crucible. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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