adversity

[ ad-vur-si-tee ]

/ ædˈvɜr sɪ ti /

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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.

Nearby words

adverse possession, adverse pressure gradient, adverse reaction, adverse selection, adversely, adversity, advert, advertence, advertency, advertent, advertise

Origin of adversity

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

SYNONYMS FOR adversity

1 catastrophe, disaster; trouble, misery.

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ANTONYMS FOR adversity

1 prosperity.

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Synonym study

2. See affliction.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for adversity

They are stories of persecution and triumph, adversity and strength.
Quorum: Global LGBT Voices||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Cheerfulness requires something more than a well-balanced Rabelaisian nonchalance in adversity and a keen relish for all pleasure.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 3 No 2, February 1863|Various
They say those discourses, like friends, are best and surest that come to our refuge and aid in adversity, and are useful.
Plutarch's Morals|Plutarch
The knobcone pine lives in adversity and usually dies by violence.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson
Her heroic soul is still unmoved, and above the reach of adversity.
Memoirs of Miss Sidney Biddulph|Frances Sheridan
The man and woman were not cut out, so to speak, for adversity.
A Houseful of Girls|Sarah Tytler

British Dictionary definitions for adversity

adversity

/ (ədˈvɜːsɪtɪ) /

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