crucible
noun
Jacopo PriscoTom WolfeGil 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
Examples of crucible in a Sentence
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers and illuminators.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
There’s no crucible more scrutinized in the sport than the Olympic Games.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Crises’ crucibles often forge potent alliances.
—Jamie Holmes, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crucible
Cite this Entry
“Crucible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crucible. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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crucible
noun
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crucible
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