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

In their posts, they often made note of the hardships Ukrainians now endure daily, including long power outages while loved ones have been away fighting for months or years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But L.A. has also brought disappointment, financial hardship and the necessity to face hard truths.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Persistence through hardship is an important concept in Thai culture, explained Thai CDC program associate Kittima Chambers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Marwan Marouf’s friends say that he’s the kind of Texan to show up at your door when hardship strikes with a bag of groceries, a smile and a helping hand.

Read more on Salon

I’ve long believed that what sets America apart is the possibility of growing up in hardship and raising your children in comfort, all within a single generation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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