crucible

noun

cru·​ci·​ble ˈkrü-sə-bəl 

1

: a vessel of a very refractory (see refractory entry 1 sense 3) material (such as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat

2

: a severe test

He's ready to face the crucible of the Olympics.

3

: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development

… Mercury itself coalesced into a planet … from a swirling cloud of dust and gas, in the crucible of a high-pressure, high-temperature environment.

—Jacopo Prisco

… conditioned by having grown up within the crucible of Chinatown …

—Tom Wolfe

… the military's egalitarianism and common culture … in the crucible of combat.

—Gil Barndollar and Matthew C. Mai

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.

Synonyms of crucible

• ordeal
• fire
• gauntlet
• trial

Examples of crucible in a Sentence

He's ready to face the crucible of the Olympics.

His character was formed in the crucible of war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Crises’ crucibles often forge potent alliances. —Jamie Holmes, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026

The city is internationally recognized as a crucible for the art form, from Louis Armstrong’s presence here in the 1920s to the influence of the South Side’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the international avant-garde. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

While a couple of those games were against minnows, his last three were in the Big 12 crucible. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

This is a proper, authentic Sicilian eatery, which, while unfussy, is still a crucible of pride and local foodie culture with high standards of service. —Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English corusible, from Medieval Latin crucibulum earthen pot for melting metals

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing crucible

• crucible steel

Rhymes for crucible

• deducible
• inducible
• producible
• reducible
• irreducible
• reproducible
• useable

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Kids Definition

crucible

noun

cru·​ci·​ble ˈkrü-sə-bəl 

1

: a pot made of a substance not easily damaged by fire that is used for holding something to be treated under great heat

2

: a severe test

Medical Definition

crucible

noun

cru·​ci·​ble ˈkrü-sə-bəl 

: a vessel of a very refractory material (as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat