ordeal
Americannoun
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any extremely severe or trying test, experience, or trial.
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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.
noun
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a severe or trying experience
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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
Etymology
Origin of ordeal
before 950; Middle English ordal, Old English ordāl; cognate with Dutch oordeel, German Urteil. See a- 3, dole 1
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.
The “Pose” star said the emotional ordeal has been mind-altering.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
"We lived like kings in our homes. Our life has become an ordeal," the old man said through tears, sitting on a mattress in his tent.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Wordle even helped to end a 17-hour hostage ordeal and became the most Googled word of 2022.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
First detailed in The Seattle Times in 2018, the ordeal made for a story that could speak to every reader.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
It had been drizzling all afternoon, and lighting the fire was an ordeal that put everyone in a bitter mood.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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.
