Meaning & use
Ordeals
Last updated
Painful, difficult, or prolonged experiences that test a person's endurance or character.
See it in a sentence
Surviving the flood was one of the worst ordeals of their lives.
The hostages recounted their ordeals to reporters after being freed.
A note on using this word
In medieval law, an "ordeal" originally referred to a trial by physical test, such as walking over hot coals, believed to reveal guilt or innocence through divine judgment.
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