crucible
noun
a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures.
crucible
American
[kroo-suh-buhl]
/ ˈkru sə bəl /
noun
-
crucibles
plural
-
a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures.
-
Metallurgy. a hollow area at the bottom of a furnace in which the metal collects.
-
a severe, searching test or trial.
crucible
1
British
/ ˈkruːsɪbəl /
noun
-
a vessel in which substances are heated to high temperatures
-
the hearth at the bottom of a metallurgical furnace in which the metal collects
-
a severe trial or test
Crucible
2
British
/ ˈkruːsɪbəl /
noun
crucible
Scientific
/ kro̅o̅′sə-bəl /
Usage
What does crucible mean? A crucible is a severe test or trial or an extremely challenging experience. This figurative sense of crucible is based on the literal meaning of the word: a heat-resistant container used to melt metals. Crucible in the literal sense is used in the context of metallurgy, the science of working with and refining metals. The word is perhaps best known from its use as the title of the 1953 play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Example: Their friendship was forged in the crucible of boot camp.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of crucible
1400–50; late Middle English crusible, corusible < Medieval Latin crucibulum; compare Anglo-French crusil, Old French croi-suel, croisol night lamp, crucible < Gallo-Romance *croceolus (of uncertain origin), probably Latinized on the model of tūribulum thurible
Explanation
A crucible is a melting pot used for extremely hot chemical reactions — the crucible needs to be melt-proof. Literally, a crucible is a vessel used for very hot processes, like fusing metals. Another meaning of the word is a very significant and difficult trial or test. Scaling Mt. Everest with your legs tied together would be a crucible, as would swimming the English Channel blindfolded. Whether or not to have children is a crucible for many people. The title of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is an example of this meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing crucible
Night
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Gold Rush: Mining and Metals
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Johnny Tremain
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The ruins of the Soviet command economy were also a crucible for innovation, said Kadri Ukrainski, who lectures on the subject at Estonia's Tartu University.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
So, too, the name—marathon—for the crucible that would ultimately reach 26.2 miles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
I was socialized in the crucible of millennial progressivism.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
This weekend’s Grammys and next weekend’s Super Bowl — with a halftime performance from Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny — arrive at a crucible moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
The Hamburg crucible is one of the things that set the Beatles apart.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Wu Yize held off a Shaun Murphy fightback to ensure he will take a slender 13-12 lead into the concluding session of their World Championship final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
Shaun Murphy powered to a 17-15 victory over John Higgins to reach his fifth World Championship final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Shaun Murphy dashed Zhao Xintong's hopes of lifting the Crucible curse with a superb 13-10 win as he moved into the semi-finals of the World Championship.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
But Higgins won the last three frames on Sunday and maintained that form by taking the first three on Monday as O'Sullivan lost six successive frames at the Crucible for only the fifth time.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
Like when we read The Crucible last year.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Wars, as ever, are crucibles for rapid development—and adoption—of new tech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
Excavations and geophysical surveys in this area revealed crucibles, slag, and tin bronze artifacts.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2025
"Wales was one of the great crucibles of the Industrial Revolution, which was sweeping Europe and later the world," added Ms Protheroe-Jones.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2024
Then about 6 years old, Shapiro would salvage gold that had been deposited in or on the company’s crucibles.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
Women were taking their beautiful pewter from dresser shelves, stoically watching it melt in crucibles.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
