Words / C1

or-DEEL/ɔːˈdiːl/

An ordeal is a very difficult, painful, or exhausting experience: an ordeal at the border, survive the ordeal. Hardship is a cousin; a test or exam is everyday and milder; trial can mean court or a hard test. Do not call a routine sitting an ordeal to dodge the timetable.

Meaning

A very difficult, painful, or exhausting experience.

Examples

• “An exam is a test; an unstaffed sitting in a heatwave is an ordeal.”
• “Difficult is everyday. Hardship can be ongoing poverty or strain. A trial in court is legal. Ordeal by fire is historical. Discomfort is not automatically an ordeal; unstaffed heat with no water may be.”

Good to know

A grim, draining experience. Everyday: a very hard time. Cousin: hardship. A normal exam is a test, not an ordeal by default.

Near in meaning

hardship

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