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hardship

hardship

128 3.4
A time of serious difficulty, often with little money or food
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑrdʃɪp/
translation icon : dificultad
  • Like many Americans, they suffered through these years enduring economic hardship and associated calamities.
  • economic hardship
  • financial hardship
  • undue hardship

It actually took, you know, a lot of work and hardship on my part.

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Examples

  • Then, after years of hardship, their fortunes suddenly changed.

  • This is the beginning of long term economic hardship for Americans.

  • And there was this shared hardship and we were there for each other.

  • And I think like you need to go through the hardship to build character.

  • It's creating hardship all over the world.

  • We have to be willing to go through hardship, through suffering, through pain.

  • Withdrawal of government support thus meant financial hardship for many private companies.

    Academic text (1999)
  • We stayed connected and were there for each other through personal hardships.

  • Despite many hardships, they advanced their way of living and the thriving nation became the rice bowl of Asia.

  • After losing his job, he faced serious hardship trying to pay his bills.

Synonyms

hard time
vshardship
382 2.9

A period when someone has difficulty or trouble

refers to more severe or long lasting forms of difficulty
misery
vshardship
310 2.8

A feeling of great unhappiness and suffering

is more about external severe situations rather than inner feeling
difficult time
vshardship
134 3.1

A period when someone faces problems or a lot of stress

suggests a more intense or harmful overall condition
hard times
vshardship
104 3.1

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

focuses on the condition rather than only a time period
plight
vshardship
98 6.5

A difficult situation that is hard to get out of

is more general and covers many kinds of severe trouble
predicament
vshardship
81 5.8

A difficult or embarrassing situation that is hard to escape

covers lack and misfortune as well as dilemmas
deprivation
vshardship
76 6.2

Not having basic things you need, like food, shelter, or sleep

focuses on lack of essentials rather than difficulties from other causes
adversity
vshardship
71 4.9

A difficult time when you face many problems

is a stronger label for severe suffering often with lack
dire straits
vshardship
  • Informal
11 7.4

A very difficult situation that causes serious money problems

is broader and covers many types of severe difficulty
desperate straits
vshardship
2 7.4

A situation of very great trouble and urgent need with no easy way out

is a more general term for severe and prolonged difficulty
hard time of it
vshardship
2 6.1

A time when someone has many problems and finds life difficult

applies to broader severe suffering beyond ordinary struggle
straits
vshardship
7.4

A difficult time when someone has little money or many problems

is wider, including serious lack and long term misfortune
in straitened circumstances
vshardship
  • Formal
8.6

A person who has little money and cannot buy basic things

is broader and includes nonfinancial severe misfortune as well
suffering
vshardship
2.8

Feeling pain in the body or mind

refers to external difficult situations rather than inner feelings

Antonyms

195 3.7

A time when people or a country have money and success

190 1.0

A feeling of physical ease and being free from pain

How Severe

misery
310 2.8
suffering
636 2.8
hardship
128 3.4
difficulty
651 2.4

Surface Forms

hardship singular
hardships plural

Morphology

hardship = hard (transparent) = hard + ship

Formed from the adjective 'hard' plus the productive suffix '-ship' meaning 'state or condition', so the meaning 'state of difficulty' is straightforward.

Etymology

The word hardship comes from the simple parts hard and -ship, where -ship means 'state of', as in friendship. So hardship literally means the 'state of being hard', which is why it refers to serious trouble or suffering.