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😣 A difficult period 🚔 Severe prison
hard time

hard time

382 2.9
A period when someone has difficulty or trouble
  • noun
: dificultad
  • Despite her access to land, however, she still had a hard time securing the necessary labor.
  • fall on hard times
  • have a hard time getting
  • have a hard time remembering

during that really hard time and to make me smile.

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Examples

  • Well, I know you're going through a hard time at home.

    Saltburn (2023)

  • I have a hard time looking at my son.

    The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

  • Most people have a very hard time taking action.

  • Advice on having a hard time making friends?

    Pretty Basic Podcast

  • Mary has a real hard time in parties with small talk.

  • But they had a really hard time getting their money straight, their career.

    The Diary Of A CEO

  • Any veterans going through a hard time at this moment right now?

    Anything Goes With James English

  • Do you have a hard time making friends or connecting with people?

    People Like Us (2012)

  • Personally, I am still having a hard time processing and dealing with all that happened.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Many students have a hard time understanding difficult math concepts.

Synonyms

difficulty
vshard time
651 2.4

A hard part of a task that needs extra effort or is not easy to understand

describes a period of trouble rather than an abstract quality or obstacle
difficult time
vshard time
134 3.1

A period when someone faces problems or a lot of stress

is the everyday general phrase used for that same period
hardship
vshard time
128 3.4

A time of serious difficulty, often with little money or food

means a general period of difficulty and is less focused on severity
hard times
vshard time
104 3.1

A period when people have many problems with money or daily life

is the usual single-phrase label for any such period
adversity
vshard time
71 4.9

A difficult time when you face many problems

is the everyday phrase for a period when someone suffers trouble
time of it
vshard time
  • Informal
10 8.1

A period when someone has many problems to deal with

is the general name for any period of trouble or hardship
hard knocks
vshard time
  • Informal
5 6.0

Difficult experiences that teach you important life lessons

focuses on a period of trouble rather than learning through events
tough going
vshard time
  • Informal
4 5.3

A situation or task that is hard to do

refers to a stretch of trouble over time rather than a single task
hard time of it
vshard time
2 6.1

A time when someone has many problems and finds life difficult

is the broad neutral term for such difficult life periods
rough sledding
vshard time
  • Informal
1 7.0

A difficult time that is hard to get through

is the general term that does not stress overcoming effort
tough experience
vshard time
1 3.9

A difficult time that is hard to get through

expresses a period of difficulty rather than a single stressful situation

Antonyms

smooth sailing
  • Informal
16 2.7

An easy time with no problems

easy time of it
  • Informal
1 1.7

A situation that is not difficult and needs little effort

How Difficult

crisis
∞ 3.1
hardship
128 3.4
hard time
382 2.9
difficulty
651 2.4
setback
148 3.6

Surface Forms

hard time singular
hard times plural

Morphology

hard + time

The constituents 'hard' (difficult) + 'time' (period) transparently yield a general sense of 'a difficult period', so a B1 learner would likely infer a related meaning. However, the conventionalized, specific sense of serving a severe prison sentence (as in 'do/serve hard time') is an idiomatic specialization of that general meaning and may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Hard time paints a picture of a period that feels like walking on a rough, hard road where every step takes effort, so the time itself feels difficult. That's why it means 'a period of difficulty or trouble'.