trial

Definition

An occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are.

Etymology

From Middle English trial, triall, from Anglo-Norman trial, triel, from trier (“to pick out, cull”) + -al. More at English try.

Example Sentences

• "all thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love and thou / Hast strangely stood the test here"
• "had my powers been less limited, I might have enforced obedience; but as it was, it was but a trial of strength between her and me, in which she generally came off victorious"
• "Jama saw the sweaty, smelly work as a kind of test that, if passed, would entitle him to see his father, a trial of his worth as a son and as a man."