Meanings
plural ordeals
- figurativelyA painful or trying experience.
All the same, nearly eight hours on the footplate covering a distance of 320 miles, with an ambient temperature of up to 103° for much of the time, proved an ordeal which I would not lightly undertake again.
1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 6112 more examples
“And do you realize that in a few shakes I've got to show up at dinner and have Mrs Cream being very, very kind to me? It hurts the pride of the Woosters, Jeeves.” “My advice, sir, would be to fortify yourself for the ordeal.” “How?” “There are always cocktails, sir. Should I pour you another?” “You should.”
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XXI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLCArsène Wenger confessed: "The result was not an accurate indication of the match." Certainly, at half-time it seemed unlikely that Arsenal would catch fire so spectacularly because the first half was a damp squib of a display from Wenger's team, as Newcastle initially showed no ill-effects from their Old Trafford ordeal.
2012 December 29, Paul Doyle, “Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle”, in The GuardianSynonyms: calvary, torment, tribulation
- The poisonous ordeal bean or Calabar bean.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA painful or trying experience.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control; escape was usually taken as a sign of innocence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*uʀdailī“judgement”
- Old Englishordēl
- Medieval Latinordālium
- Middle Englishordel
- Englishordeal
From Middle English ordel, ordal, from Medieval Latin ordālium or inherited from its source Old English ordēl, ordāl (“ordeal, judgement”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀdailī (“judgement”, literally “an out-dealing”), from *uʀdailijan (“to deal out; dispense”). For more, see Old English or-, English deal. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Uurdeel (“judgement; verdict”), West Frisian oardiel (“judgement”), Dutch oordeel (“judgement, discretion”), Low German Oordeel (“judgement; verdict”), German Urteil (“judgement, verdict”).
More words from Middle English, Medieval Latin, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِمْتِحَان, تَجْرُبَة
- اِمْتِحَان (imtiḥān)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- تَجْرُبَة (tajruba)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- مِحْنَة (miḥna)a painful or trying experience
Bulgarian изпитание, мъчение
- изпитание (izpitanie)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- мъчение (măčenie)a painful or trying experience
Catalan calvari
- calvaria painful or trying experience
Chinese Cantonese 神明裁判, 神判
- 神明裁判 (san⁴ ming⁴ coi⁴ pun³)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 神判 (san⁴ pun³)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 神裁 (san⁴ coi⁴)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 煎熬 (zin¹ ngou⁴)a painful or trying experience
- 磨難 /磨难 (mo⁴ naan⁶)a painful or trying experience
Chinese Mandarin 神明裁判, 神判
- 神明裁判 (shénmíng cáipàn)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 神判 (shénpàn)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 神裁 (shéncái)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 煎熬 (jiān'áo)a painful or trying experience
- 磨難 /磨难 (mónàn)a painful or trying experience
Dutch beproeving, kwelling
- beproevingtrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- kwellinga painful or trying experience
- ontberinga painful or trying experience
Finnish jumaltuomio, koettelemus
- jumaltuomiotrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- koettelemusa painful or trying experience
French ordalie, épreuve
- ordalietrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- épreuvea painful or trying experience
- calvairea painful or trying experience
German Gottesurteil, Feuerprobe
- Gottesurteiltrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- Feuerprobetrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- Tortura painful or trying experience
Greek δοκιμασία, δεινοπάθημα
- δοκιμασία (dokimasía)a painful or trying experience
- δεινοπάθημα (deinopáthima)a painful or trying experience
Hungarian megpróbáltatás, kálvária
- megpróbáltatása painful or trying experience
- kálváriaa painful or trying experience
- tortúraa painful or trying experience
Italian ordalia, calvario
- ordaliatrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- calvarioa painful or trying experience
- torturaa painful or trying experience
Japanese 試練, 苦杯
- 試練 (shiren)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- 苦杯 (kuhai)a painful or trying experience
Māori whakakohukitanga
- whakakohukitangaa painful or trying experience
Norwegian prøvelse, slit
- prøvelsea painful or trying experience
- slita painful or trying experience
Persian مصیبت, گرفتاری
- مصیبت (mosibat)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- گرفتاری (gereftâri)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
Polish sąd boży, ordalia
- sąd bożytrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- ordaliatrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
Portuguese ordália, calvário
- ordáliatrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- calvárioa painful or trying experience
- provaçãoa painful or trying experience
- via-crúcisa painful or trying experience
- martírioa painful or trying experience
- tormentoa painful or trying experience
Romanian ordalie, calvar
- ordalietrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- calvara painful or trying experience
- china painful or trying experience
Russian суд бо́жий, орда́лии
- суд бо́жий (sud bóžij)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- орда́лии (ordálii)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- орда́лия (ordálija)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- суро́вое испыта́ние (suróvoje ispytánije)a painful or trying experience
Spanish prueba del fuego, ordalía
- prueba del fuegotrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- ordalíatrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- calvarioa painful or trying experience
- suplicioa painful or trying experience
Swedish gudsdom, ordal
- gudsdomtrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- ordaltrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- prövninga painful or trying experience
- pärsa painful or trying experience
Turkish ateşten gömlek, çile
- ateşten gömlektrial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- çilea painful or trying experience
Ukrainian суд бо́жий, орда́лія
- суд бо́жий (sud bóžyj)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- орда́лія (ordálija)trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test
- важке́ випро́бування (važké vypróbuvannja)a painful or trying experience
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ordeal
Anagrams
Cite this entry
ordeal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ordeal
“ordeal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ordeal. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ordeal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ordeal.
Source: ordeal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.