All 5 Uses of
ordeal
in
Unbroken - adapted for young adults
- They were reaching a stage of their ordeal that, for other castaways, had been a gruesome turning point.†
p. 115.1 *ordeal = very difficult or painful experience
- Nearby, Phil endured the same ordeal.†
p. 143.3
- When he learned Louie was finally stateside, admitted to San Francisco's Letterman General Hospital to recover from his ordeal, he went AWOL.†
p. 238.3
- Cynthia had no idea how deeply Louie was haunted by his war ordeal, or that he was turning to alcohol to cope.†
p. 248.8
- Describing Louie's ordeal to an audience gathered to honor him, he broke down.†
p. 279.2
Definitions:
-
(1)
(ordeal) a very difficult or painful experience
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, ordeal can refer to a 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 or survival was usually taken as a sign of innocence.