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
According to TMZ‘s report, the ordeal took place before takeoff of a Sunday morning Delta flight out of San Francisco, which hosted Super Bowl LX.
—
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
Guarino Sabate’s ordeal made headlines, garnering international attention.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
The entire ordeal lasted just four days.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Space for a crowd As news of the family's ordeal spread, customers new and old began packing the restaurant.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
Guarino Sabate’s ordeal made headlines, garnering international attention.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
The entire ordeal lasted just four days.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Space for a crowd As news of the family's ordeal spread, customers new and old began packing the restaurant.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordeal
Noun
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But that gauntlet is now over, and the Horned Frogs must take advantage and begin to stack wins, starting with Saturday’s game against Kansas State.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Feb. 2026
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Rookie left tackle Will Campbell’s gauntlet of a postseason doesn’t get any easier in Super Bowl LX with the Patriots facing off against the Seahawks’ vaunted defense.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This case bears close similarities to the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old son killed four students in 2021 at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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The company has been negotiating a settlement, opposed by Slater, to avoid a trial that could break it up along the lines of its 2010 merger.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The crucial employment snapshot is slightly delayed because of the brief government shutdown and will show whether the trajectory improved for the US labor market, which has been stuck in a low-hire and low-fire lull.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Italy’s national fire and rescue service, Vigili del Fuoco, reported that, over the weekend, two people died and one was seriously injured in Alpe Meriggio in Valtellina after being caught in an avalanche that fatally buried at least one of the victims.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Russia is now propelled by not Marxism but nationalism under the two-beamed cross of Orthodoxy.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
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Sweden had started the race as strong favorites, having won seven out of nine medals in the women's cross country competition.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ordeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordeal. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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