as in ordeals
a test of faith, patience, or strength
soldiers who had withstood the crucible of war
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Recent Examples of crucibles
At the time, there was a chance of that being Neuer’s final appearance in one of sport’s great crucibles, and players of his calibre deserve better endings.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Crises’ crucibles often forge potent alliances.
—Jamie Holmes, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
At its best, Extra Geography is a wistful look at the crucibles of young adulthood, at two people forming and re-forming into shapes that may no longer be compatible with one another.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Crises’ crucibles often forge potent alliances.
—Jamie Holmes, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
At its best, Extra Geography is a wistful look at the crucibles of young adulthood, at two people forming and re-forming into shapes that may no longer be compatible with one another.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crucibles
Noun
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Others have also turned their personal ordeals into stories of inspiration.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2026
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The medical ordeals are traumatic and disgusting, but fascinating and full of the quirks of modern life.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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An Amazon package arrived at my door a few days after the Eaton and Palisades fires ignited.—
Abigail Stone,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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Previously, small fires had often escalated due to increasingly difficult-to-predict weather conditions.—
Paige Bruton,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Post-punk bands face few gauntlets as arduous as the slow song, and Landowner challenge themselves to traverse three of them.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
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Those odds proved to be correct, as One Battle and Sinners added the final jewels to their respective gauntlets en route to this Sunday’s Academy Awards.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Same sentences for all The fates of the detainees are now being decided in mass trials, with anonymous judges handing down one-size-fit-all punishments to large groups of defendants following the proceedings via video-link from prison.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
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The effort builds on earlier trials conducted by the French and German air forces, including drone-release testing and aerodynamic studies.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crucibles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crucibles. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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