as in gauntlet
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
Both were reported to be in stable condition after their ordeal.
—
David Szondy
june 09, New Atlas, 9 June 2026
Many mothers endure the ordeal alone while their husbands are fighting.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
In a pair of statements published in 2020, Duffy shared that she had been abducted, raped, and held captive for six weeks, an ordeal that led her to retreat from the spotlight.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 7 June 2026
Inside the building, a terrifying hourslong ordeal was just beginning for those who couldn’t get out.
—Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
David Szondy
june 09, New Atlas, 9 June 2026
Many mothers endure the ordeal alone while their husbands are fighting.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
In a pair of statements published in 2020, Duffy shared that she had been abducted, raped, and held captive for six weeks, an ordeal that led her to retreat from the spotlight.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 7 June 2026
Inside the building, a terrifying hourslong ordeal was just beginning for those who couldn’t get out.
—Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordeal
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
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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
-
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
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
The Park An LGBTQ+-friendly bar, The Park Dance Club attracts a broad cross-section of Roanoke residents, including gay and straight partiers of all ages, Ferguson says.—
Julekha Dash,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 2026
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After the zapfest on Earth, the anti-climactic tussle between the forces of good and evil occurs back on Eternia, where He-Man and his nemesis cross swords in a clumsy fight that’s not only predictable but also photographed and edited poorly.—
Jeffrey Ressner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ordeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordeal. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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