Definition of "ordeal" []

• A difficult or painful experience, especially one that severely tests character or endurance. See Synonyms at trial. (noun)
• A method of trial in which the accused was subjected to physically painful or dangerous tests, the result being regarded as a divine judgment of guilt or innocence. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "However, the largest crime in this ordeal is the response of the people who act as if they are so crushed by his actions."
• "Now, looking back on the past few tumultuous years, he can glean a glimmer of satisfaction from what he calls his ordeal by humiliation."
• "What happens to Harry after his ordeal is over should be left to the imagination of the reader."