as in ordeal
a test of faith, patience, or strength
soldiers who had withstood the crucible of war
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Recent Examples of crucible
And of them, only Kerr has lived alongside him in the crucible of the NBA grind.
—
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026
In the crucible that is the NBA postseason, that constitutes playing with fire.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 9 May 2026
Drones in the Russia-Ukraine War The Russia-Ukraine conflict, initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 (an extension of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea) has served as a crucible for innovations in UAV warfare.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Parker’s gigs at ETA became a crucible for younger players.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crucible
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026
In the crucible that is the NBA postseason, that constitutes playing with fire.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 9 May 2026
Drones in the Russia-Ukraine War The Russia-Ukraine conflict, initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 (an extension of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea) has served as a crucible for innovations in UAV warfare.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Parker’s gigs at ETA became a crucible for younger players.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crucible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crucible
Noun
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About four hours into the nightmare ordeal, Jimmy tried to escape by opening the front door, but Chavez shot him in the back.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
-
Garcia said the ordeal was a misunderstanding and that the restaurant has defamed him.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
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For a few species, that condition was not entirely in spite of but because of Native Americans, who set fire to the landscape to clear brush, to stimulate new and vigorous growth, and to improve the ease of movement and hunting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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The video and the SCE data offer proof that the 100-year-old line, which hadn’t been used since the early 1970s, became re-electrified and sparked the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena and surrounding areas, attorneys say.—
Tony Saavedra,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
To get this far, the architects navigated an unholy gauntlet of constraints.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
8 June 2026
-
Holliday was the winner of the Battle for the Brave 12-man gauntlet match.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The Karmelo Anthony trial continued Saturday for almost nine hours with about a dozen witnesses at the Collin County Courthouse.—
Dawn White,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
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Party leader Samvel Karapetyan is on trial for allegedly advocating for the government's overthrow, which the Armenian-Russian billionaire has rejected as a politically motivated case.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crucible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crucible. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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