as in fire
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
Pictures of Shiri Bibas and the children have come to symbolize the ordeal of the hostages seized in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.
—
NBC News, 20 Feb. 2025
No corrections facility staff were injured during the ordeal, according to the outlet.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025
The silence of those around her, in particular the wagon train’s unprepared and overmatched leader Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson), adds another dimension to her ordeal.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
Spoelstra even admits that the Butler ordeal challenged him.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
NBC News, 20 Feb. 2025
No corrections facility staff were injured during the ordeal, according to the outlet.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025
The silence of those around her, in particular the wagon train’s unprepared and overmatched leader Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson), adds another dimension to her ordeal.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
Spoelstra even admits that the Butler ordeal challenged him.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordeal
Noun
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To get water up to the fire, the trail crew filled five-gallon jugs and lashed them to mules.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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The series was postponed due to the Los Angeles fires.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
Fox News,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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To punch a ticket to a state championship, Boswell had to make it through a treacherous gauntlet of playoff opponents.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Feb. 2025
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Donald Trump’s new administration is already stress-testing big blue cities and states, with much more to come, months ahead of a relative handful of voters deciding who’s going to lead NYC through this gauntlet.—
Harry Siegel,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Reyes was arrested in December 2020 and has been in custody at the Cook County jail since 2021, awaiting trial on other murder and attempted murder charges for the killing of a sixth person, a 26-year-old man in June 2020, officials said.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
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The senator noted that the mystery surrounding Epstein's unexpected death prior to his 2019 trial feeds into the public's curiosity and skepticism.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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On that night, a 30-foot burning cross surrounded by smaller ones lit what was then called City Park.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
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For a few seconds, the water cleared enough to see something that resembled a cross between a hairball and a meteor.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ordeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordeal. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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