as in fire
a test of faith, patience, or strength
soldiers who had withstood the crucible of war
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Recent Examples of crucible
In the crucible of Iraq, the Quds Force, the expeditionary division of the IRGC that oversees unconventional military and intelligence operations, grew from one of its smallest units into an expansive regional force that would dominate Iran’s foreign policy decision-making.
—
Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
My crucible was definitely Tumblr.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2025
According to a paper written by one of Marathon Fusion’s co-founders (and not yet peer reviewed), the alchemist’s dream could be achieved not by mixing powders in a crucible but by tweaking atoms that were superheated during the process of nuclear fusion.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 9 Aug. 2025
Forman’s film transforms its clinical setting into a crucible of psychological warfare, where belief, identity, and dissent are pathologized.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crucible
Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
My crucible was definitely Tumblr.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2025
According to a paper written by one of Marathon Fusion’s co-founders (and not yet peer reviewed), the alchemist’s dream could be achieved not by mixing powders in a crucible but by tweaking atoms that were superheated during the process of nuclear fusion.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 9 Aug. 2025
Forman’s film transforms its clinical setting into a crucible of psychological warfare, where belief, identity, and dissent are pathologized.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crucible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crucible
Noun
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Authorities believe the fire originated from lightning.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
At one point, Haggard said fire rescue treated Kehl, who had been acting erratically.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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See the full list of competitors and their partners, then press PLAY on the video above to watch Julianne Hough take a deep dive into her medical ordeal.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
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Just over 1,500 children have been rescued from Russia, with almost half of those facilitated by Save Ukraine, a charity dedicated to the return of Russian children who helped Katya get back to Ukrainian territory after her weekslong ordeal in the military camp.—
Guy Davies,
ABC News,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The kitchen needs to turn out three meals a day that are creative enough to draw in finicky locals, anodyne enough to satisfy an international clientele, and sturdy enough to survive the room-service gauntlet.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
31 Aug. 2025
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Title contenders in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference could also share that mentality.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crucible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crucible. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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