crucible

American  

[kroo-suh-buhl] / ˈkru sə bəl /

noun

1. a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures.

2. Metallurgy. a hollow area at the bottom of a furnace in which the metal collects.

3. a severe, searching test or trial.

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Crucible ¹ British  

/ ˈkruːsɪbəl /

noun

1. a Sheffield theatre, venue of the annual world professional snooker championship

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crucible ² British  

/ ˈkruːsɪbəl /

noun

1. a vessel in which substances are heated to high temperatures

2. the hearth at the bottom of a metallurgical furnace in which the metal collects

3. a severe trial or test

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crucible Scientific  

/ kro̅o̅′sə-bəl /

1. A heat-resistant container used to melt ores, metals, and other materials.

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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.

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.

Example Sentences

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

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

The plane seat is my crucible — and the most difficult part of every trip.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

‘Why, that when you asked for a crucible he handed you the old cracked one.’

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes