hardship

[hahrd-ship]

noun

1. a condition that is difficult to endure; suffering; deprivation; oppression.

   a life of hardship.

   Synonyms: misfortune, suffering, affliction, trouble
   Antonyms: ease

2. an instance or cause of this; something hard to bear, as a deprivation, lack of comfort, or constant toil or danger.

   They faced bravely the many hardships of frontier life.

hardship

/ ˈhɑːdʃɪp /

noun

1. conditions of life difficult to endure

2. something that causes suffering or privation

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardship¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; hard + -ship

Synonym Study

Hardship, privation, austerity refer to a condition hard to endure. Hardship applies to a circumstance in which excessive and painful effort of some kind is required, as enduring acute discomfort from cold, or battling over rough terrain. Privation has particular reference to lack of food, clothing, and other necessities or comforts. Austerity not only includes the ideas of privation and hardship but also implies deliberate control of emotional reactions to these.

Example Sentences

Closed campuses, economic hardship and disease held back student achievement starting in March of 2020.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After all, she technically chose this life, elected to be a mother no matter the hardships.

Read more on Salon

"A career can have some slightly more complicated years, years where you have a little more hardship," he said.

Read more on Barron's

Historically, states of emergency have been declared during natural disasters; however, staff said the criteria for such an action could be applied to the hardships generated by immigration raids.

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North East Lincolnshire Council said it could not comment on individual cases but had set aside a £100,000 hardship fund to support some of those unable to pay off their council tax debt.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• adversity 
• calamity 
• catastrophe 
• danger 
• difficulty 
• disaster 
• discomfort 
• fatigue 
• grief 
• hazard 
• injury 
• misery 
• misfortune 
• oppression 
• peril 
• persecution 
• sorrow 
• suffering 
• torment 
• trouble