adversity
Americannoun
plural
adversities-
adverse or unfavorable fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress.
Friends will show their true colors in times of adversity.
- Synonyms:
- misery, trouble, disaster, catastrophe
- Antonyms:
- prosperity
-
an adverse or unfortunate event or circumstance.
You will meet many adversities in life.
noun
-
distress; affliction; hardship
-
an unfortunate event or incident
Related Words
See affliction.
Etymology
Origin of adversity
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English adversite, from Anglo-French, from Latin adversitās “opposition”; equivalent to adverse + -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
England went on to lose the final to South Africa, yet Itoje had shown he could respond to adversity.
From BBC
It can encompass steadfastness in the face of adversity, selflessness, self-sacrifice, honesty and integrity in one’s dealings with others.
From Los Angeles Times
Most adversity comes from playing away from home, and Saturday gave the England players more of those scenarios.
From BBC
Its premise could have offered up a kid-friendly reading on failure that doesn’t simplify a way out of adversity.
From Los Angeles Times
He faced adversity at the end of the regular season when his team lost three out of four games, so let’s see how he responds in the Open Division playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
