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Synonyms

hardship

American  
[hahrd-ship] / ˈhɑrd ʃɪp /

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 British  
/ ˈhɑːdʃɪp /

noun

  1. conditions of life difficult to endure

  2. something that causes suffering or privation

"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

Related Words

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.

Etymology

Origin of hardship

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

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.

Good people will be plunged into hardship, at least for a while.

From The Wall Street Journal

Another question is, how long will Unite continue to pay daily hardship allowances to striking workers?

From BBC

Lai, who is Catholic, has told friends that he found meaning in the hardship of prison and spends time reading the Bible and other religious works and drawing pictures of the cross.

From The Wall Street Journal

The event also features segments that bring viewers closer to individual rescue stories, including profiles of dogs overcoming hardship on their way to finding forever homes.

From Salon

If I have an entrepreneur that I know can come through hardship, I know I’m going to make money, period.”

From MarketWatch