ordeal

[awr-deel, -dee-uhl, awr-deel]

noun

1. any extremely severe or trying test, experience, or trial.

2. a primitive form of trial to determine guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to fire, poison, or other serious danger, the result being regarded as a divine or preternatural judgment.

ordeal

/ ɔːˈdiːl /

noun

1. a severe or trying experience

2. history a method of trial in which the guilt or innocence of an accused person was determined by subjecting him to physical danger, esp by fire or water. The outcome was regarded as an indication of divine judgment

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordeal¹

before 950; Middle English ordal, Old English ordāl; cognate with Dutch oordeel, German Urteil. See a- ³, dole ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordeal¹

Old English ordāl, ordēl; related to Old Frisian ordēl, Old High German urteili (German Urteil ) verdict. See _deal ¹ , _dole ¹

Example Sentences

Because I am on blood thinners to help prevent another blood clot, even minor cuts are a major ordeal.

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Testifying that her daughter had been traumatized by the ordeal of finding the hidden tracking device.

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In Tel Aviv, people gathered in Hostages Square, which has become a symbol of the ordeal of the captives.

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Even though the goat tumbled around six feet, she emerged from the ordeal with only a nick on her elbow, Robertson said.

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The ordeal, he says, now “smells like incompetence.”

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Related Words

• agony 
• anguish 
• calamity 
• difficulty 
• nightmare 
• torment 
• torture 
• trial