hard time

noun

1. a period of difficulties or hardship.

2. Slang.,  time actually served in a prison or other penal institution.

   He had merely been fined before, but now was sentenced to 90 days' hard time in the county jail.

3. Informal.,  give a hard time, to bother, annoy, or harass.

   He gave me a hard time about the money I owe him.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard time¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Idioms and Phrases

Also, hard times . A period of difficulty or hardship, especially financial hardship. For example, Since Mom died, Christmas has been a hard time for Dad , or It's been hard times for both of them since they split up . It is also put as have a hard time , as in I'm having a hard time finishing this book . Charles Dickens used Hard Times as the title of a novel about poverty (1854). A more recent version is have a time of it , which despite its ambiguity (not specifying either “good” or “bad”) nearly always means “experiencing difficulty”; for example, We had quite a time of it in that hurricane . [Late 1300s]

give someone a hard time . Annoy or harass someone. For example, Don't let him give you a hard time; he's often late himself . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

Example Sentences

Harris, who was her own boss for nearly two decades, had a hard time adjusting as Biden’s No. 2.

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If someone is still going through a hard time or has had episodes before, he may be advised to stay on the medication, Deka says.

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Up until Thursday, both Villavicencio and Crawford were preparing for hard times.

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Mr. Adams posted on social media this weekend that he has had a hard time scheduling an appointment with his provider, Kaiser Permanente, to receive a Pluvicto infusion.

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We want to continue it, and do everything we can to put it at a level where people after us have a hard time reaching.”

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Related Words

• admonition 
• censure 
• condemnation 
• disapproval 
• punishment 
• rebuff 
• reproach 
• snub