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adversity

adversity

71 4.9
A difficult time when you face many problems
  • noun
  • /ædˈvɜːrsɪti/
translation icon : adversidad
  • After facing years of financial adversity, she finally started her own successful business.
  • facing adversity
  • overcome adversity
  • coping with adversity

Not everyone who goes through adversity develops resilience.

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Examples

  • However, some young people do overcome great adversity in their lives and many barriers to achievement.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Good humor in the face of adversity was one of his best qualities.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I really believe that that adversity really is a gift.

  • So I look at your adversity as a positive.

  • We will use the adversity to help us.

  • Perhaps a little adversity was what they needed to bring them together, though.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Behind every moment of adversity, two things always occur.

  • Even during her early years, she showed the ability to rise above great adversity.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I have the type of mind that works most effectively in times of adversity.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Our greatness will be measured by our response to adversity.

Synonyms

trouble
vsadversity
1.0

A situation that causes difficulty, worry, or inconvenience

is the wider concept of misfortune or hardship rather than one specific problem
suffering
vsadversity
636 2.8

Pain and trouble that a person feels in the body or mind

refers to difficult situations including causes and consequences, not only pain
hard time
vsadversity
382 2.9

A period when someone has difficulty or trouble

is the general notion of facing misfortune beyond just a single period
bad luck
vsadversity
166 1.0

Unlucky events that happen by chance

is the general category of difficult situations regardless of cause or chance
difficult time
vsadversity
134 3.1

A period when someone faces problems or a lot of stress

is a general label for difficult situations not limited to time periods
hardship
vsadversity
128 3.4

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

is a general term for any difficult or unpleasant situation
hard times
vsadversity
104 3.1

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

is a broader word for any kind of difficult or unpleasant situation
plight
vsadversity
98 6.5

A difficult situation that is hard to get out of

is the wider notion of misfortune without the trapped or helpless sense
predicament
vsadversity
81 5.8

A difficult or embarrassing situation that is hard to escape

is the broad category of hardship rather than a specific trapped case
misfortune
vsadversity
75 3.7

A bad event that causes trouble

is the broad idea of facing difficult or unpleasant circumstances
affliction
vsadversity
45 6.7

A condition that causes great pain or suffering, often from illness

is broader, covering many kinds of misfortune, not only painful conditions
tribulation
vsadversity
34 9.1

A time of great trouble and suffering

is the more general term for difficult situations without the extreme tone
hard knocks
vsadversity
  • Informal
5 6.0

Difficult experiences that teach you important life lessons

focuses on difficult circumstances themselves rather than the learning they bring
tough experience
vsadversity
1 3.9

A difficult time that is hard to get through

is often used for general misfortune rather than a single tough event

Antonyms

195 3.7

A time when people or a country have money and success

Idioms

To keep going when you face serious problems

Compounds

A very hard experience that tests people and helps them grow

How Serious

calamity
49 6.7
hardship
128 3.4
adversity
71 4.9
difficulty
651 2.4
problem
1.2

Surface Forms

adversity singular
adversities plural

Morphology

adversity = adverse (transparent) = adverse + ity

Standard nominalization from the adjective 'adverse' with no significant meaning shift.

Etymology

Adversity comes from Latin parts ad- ('to') and vertere ('to turn'), giving the image of something being 'turned against' you and the same root appears in English words like reverse. So adversity means 'hardship' or trouble that comes your way.