adversity

[ad-vur-si-tee]

See more synonyms for adversity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ad·ver·si·ties for 2.

adverse or unfavorable fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress: Friends will show their true colors in times of adversity.
an adverse or unfortunate event or circumstance: You will meet many adversities in life.

Origin of adversity

1200–50; Middle English adversite (< Anglo-French) < Latin adversitās. See adverse, -ity

Synonyms for adversity

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1. catastrophe, disaster; trouble, misery.

Synonym study

2. See affliction.

Antonyms for adversity

1. prosperity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for adversity

disaster, crunch, misfortune, hardship, sorrow, suffering, mishap, difficulty, calamity, misery, trouble, catastrophe, reverse, clutch, contretemps, poison, trial, drag, jam, bummer

Examples from the Web for adversity

Contemporary Examples of adversity

They are stories of persecution and triumph, adversity and strength.
Quorum: Global LGBT Voices
December 10, 2014
No matter what adversity or fear we may confront, we are always inherently free to choose how to be.
How One Lawsuit Shows What’s Wrong With America
James Poulos
October 20, 2014
She has inspired us all with her courage in the face of adversity and her strength for never giving up.
Gabby Giffords and the Problem with ‘Inspiration Porn’
Elizabeth Heideman
September 24, 2014
How she triumphed over the adversity in her life is what makes her such a powerful role model for generations of women.
Eleanor Roosevelt: Feminist Icon
Eleanor Clift
September 2, 2014
And yet these A-listers seem to have that “strength in adversity” image down cold.
Face It—We Rubes Will Never Live Like Gwyneth and Jennifer Aniston
Rachel Bertsche
July 2, 2014

Historical Examples of adversity

Yet, measured according to the stern standards of adversity, Mary was fortunate.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
It will blunt the keen edge of sorrow, and smooth the asperities of adversity.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
That part of your friend which it is your privilege to contemplate in your adversity.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
To fight it out, shoulder to shoulder with my brethren in adversity.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
But the great Wampanoag chief was not a man to yield to adversity.
King Philip
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for adversity

adversity

noun plural -ties

distress; affliction; hardship
an unfortunate event or incident

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for adversity

c.1200, aduersite "misfortune, hardship, difficulty," from Old French aversité "adversity, calamity, misfortune; hostility, wickedness, malice" (Modern French adversité), from Latin adversitatem (nominative adversitas) "opposition," from adversus (see adverse).