as in gauntlet
a test of faith, patience, or strength
the hikers were finally rescued after a three-day ordeal in the wilderness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ordeal
Getting an app published to the app store has been a lengthy ordeal for some developers, said Hanh Nguyen, CEO at Fractal, a startup that makes tools for non-coders to build chatbot apps.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
Espina is the son of migrants, and their ordeal shaped his views on immigration policy.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The fallout from that ordeal, in addition to being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, led to Barber pulling out of a main event fight against fellow Coloradan Rose Namajunas at Ball Arena that July.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Surveillance video inside the efficiency captured the entire ordeal, deputies said.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
Espina is the son of migrants, and their ordeal shaped his views on immigration policy.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The fallout from that ordeal, in addition to being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, led to Barber pulling out of a main event fight against fellow Coloradan Rose Namajunas at Ball Arena that July.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Surveillance video inside the efficiency captured the entire ordeal, deputies said.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ordeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordeal
Noun
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The beginning of the 2026 season has so far been a gauntlet for both teams in terms of the level of competition, but even more so with the schedule congestion, having played three games each in eight days.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
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The foundation of that legacy was forged in the late ’90s with 400 Degreez, an album that doubled as both a gauntlet thrown at the industry and a rallying cry that helped cement Cash Money Records as a dominant force.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
At the time of my stay as the hotel’s first guest, the Waldorf Astoria New York was in its testing and trial phase.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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This article quotes from and is based largely on records from three lawsuits against formula manufacturers that went to trial in 2024 and are now on appeal.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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True was in her office inside the restaurant shortly after the lunch rush Monday afternoon when a customer came in and said the Chinese restaurant a couple doors down was on fire.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Knicks only truly made things interesting in minutes the former Brooklyn Nets star and sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer spent on the bench on Tuesday.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mother and daughter rose with the crowd in the 81st minute as a cross from the Summit’s Caron Pickett was headed just wide over the left post by Melissa Kossler.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
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The station, which bears a distinctive red cross and American flag atop its highest floor, serves the busiest beach areas within the city.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ordeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordeal. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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