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.
"As always there's some moments of adversity you have to overcome and I did that well in the second set, so I am really proud of that."
From BBC
The skaters all display an almost superhuman ability to smile through adversity—the occasional flop, a mishap with a costume, a bad ruling.
But when she speaks about her younger years, it is not the cliché story of the inspirational disabled child sometimes presented in glossy campaigns: a compliant person bravely but silently triumphing against adversity.
From BBC
The courage and resilience of the people I have met since, who have managed, despite terrible loss and adversity, to turn their shattered lives around, is both humbling and awe-inspiring.
From BBC
All-rounder Stokes has previously dealt with similar adversity, when he was involved in an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017.
From BBC
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.
