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.
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
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.
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The larger world, if it doesn’t directly impact the day-to-day,” she told me, “becomes chaff that you kind of block out because you’re so focused on trying to survive this crucible that you’re in.”
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
He’s on firmer footing exploring his two leads as they square off inside this smoldering crucible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
A decade later we served together in the crucible of the global financial crisis, I as undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs at the time, Kevin on the Fed Board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
I was socialized in the crucible of millennial progressivism.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
Within reach of his fists all day, pounding chisel against stone with great heavy mallets instead of fashioning leaves or watching the gold turn crimson in the crucible?
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
On Monday, it was Wu Yize - who had defeated Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a compelling final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
That allowed Allen, who could become the oldest first-time winner at the Crucible, to make a couple of useful contributions and ensure there was nothing to divide the pair.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
The World Championship semi-final between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy is delicately poised at 8-8 after a captivating second session at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
From BBC ● May 1, 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
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
The sun was pouring into the broad courtyard of the goldsmith’s shop, flooding ovens, benches, crucibles, with a radiance that made even the washing vats seem things of beauty.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
