ordeal
noun
any extremely severe or trying test, experience, or trial.
ordeals
-
pluralof ordeal.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Det Supt Eleanor Welsh, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "These women have waited three or four decades for these verdicts and bravely relived their ordeals in a bid to secure justice."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
In the climatic entry in Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s Icelandic trilogy about a boy’s passage through ordeals on land and sea, the battered young hero takes refuge in a village.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
I never forgot how lucky I am to be here considering the horrors she experienced during World War II and her ordeals trying to give us a good life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
That was a dramatic improvement over recent weekends, when social media lit up with complaints of hour-and-a-half ordeals.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
“It is a difficult road you’ve taken, one riddled with hardships and painful ordeals, but then again, you are difficult children.”
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
