trials and tribulations

Idioms and Phrases

Tests of one's patience or endurance, as in She went through all the trials and tribulations of being admitted to law school only to find she couldn't afford to go . This redundant expression— trial and tribulation here both mean the same thing—is also used semi-humorously, as in Do you really want to hear about the trials and tribulations of my day at the office?

Related Words

• behavior
• development
• growth
• lifestyle
• personality
• way of life
• world