any extremely severe or trying test, experience, or trial.
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.
Origin of ordeal
before 950; Middle English ordal,Old English ordāl; cognate with Dutch oordeel,German Urteil.See a-3, dole1
Words nearby ordeal
Orcus, Orczy, ord., ordain, ordainee, ordeal, ordeal bean, ordeal tree, order, order about, order arms
Every visit to a hospital is an ordeal but for those who cannot pay for private care the experience is a horror show.
Putin’s Health Care Disaster|Anna Nemtsova|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At no time during his ordeal was Turing able to publicly reveal the far greater secret that had framed his life since 1940.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ordeal faced by Ms. Kolkiewicz, the Ebola victim, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Mutora is terrifying.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many women find a car journey with regular morning sickness quite an ordeal.
Our Hero! Morning Sickness Stricken Kate Middleton Rides In a 200 Year Old Carriage|Tom Sykes|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The handful who escaped that night have never told the full story of their ordeal — until now.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Oct 13-19, 2014|William Boot|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She saw Mrs. Leslie coming to the window with her friend, and nerved herself for the ordeal.
Guy Kenmore's Wife and The Rose and the Lily|Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller
Whether or not he had a month or a year to live it must be lived without memories of his ordeal.
The Day of the Beast|Zane Grey
What an ordeal this was getting to be, and how lucky was Nancy, comfortably seated before the fire!
Tutors' Lane|Wilmarth Lewis
But let us rather believe that to tell you of his own unworthiness to your face was an ordeal beyond his strength.
The Talk of the Town, Volume 2 (of 2)|James Payn
The ordeal to which the wife was to be subjected was twofold.
The Expositor's Bible:The Book of Numbers|Robert A. Watson
British Dictionary definitions for ordeal
ordeal
/ (ɔːˈdiːl) /
noun
a severe or trying experience
historya 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
Word Origin for ordeal
Old English ordāl, ordēl; related to Old Frisian ordēl, Old High German urteili (German Urteil) verdict. See deal1, dole1