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
But what an image: an observatory dome bubbling out of a boil of smaller domes, like an idea simmering in a crucible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He studied at a Catholic university in Budapest that was a crucible for conservative ideas that Magyar embraced as a young man, according to a former classmate of his, Miklos Nattán.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
I was socialized in the crucible of millennial progressivism.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
With a sigh of satisfaction the boy set stones and crucible aside, and wiped the sweat from his hands upon his cotton kilt.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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
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
John Higgins opened up a slender 13-11 advantage over Shaun Murphy heading into the final session of their World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Zhao, 29, had been aiming to become the only first-time winner to defend his crown since the tournament moved to the Crucible Theatre in 1977.
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
Eduardo Galvan is a lifelong skater who grew up in Venice, one of the sport’s crucibles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
Johnny’s eyes flew about the shop, taking in the fine anvils, the hood upon the annealing furnace, the neat nests of 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.
