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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But the responsibility to inform should not fall on the shoulders of the women who’ve survived these ordeals.—
Tina Sturdevant,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
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Others have also turned their personal ordeals into stories of inspiration.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some forecasters are predicting that Northern California will see an above-normal incidence of significant fires due to the dryness of the vegetation, but the picture for Southern California is less clear.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
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Bass’ standing is weak across the electorate post-fires even as Hollywood’s crew unions and other labor groups have endorsed her.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 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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In turn, data from the real-world trials can help inform and improve the simulations used for training robot behaviors.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
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During her two second-degree murder trials — the first ended in a hung jury and the second acquitted Read of all serious charges — officers who took the stand were questioned about apparently inadequate investigative methods, including infamously using red solo cups to collect evidence.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crucibles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crucibles. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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