Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

trials and tribulations

Idioms  

  1. 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?

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.

“No matter the trials and tribulations he faced in life, he was constant in his generosity and love for his family,” his children said in a press release.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

We learn more about her parents, their parents, her siblings, her friends and neighbors, and their adventures, trials and tribulations.

From Salon • Nov. 11, 2025

His most popular song, “Qué Bendición,” tells tales of his trials and tribulations, and his mother’s blessing that follows him wherever he goes — although some songs sound haunting now, in light of Montana’s passing.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

At the same time, her message is still a “populist” one about collective action and the trials and tribulations of regular people.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2024

As she launched into the trials and tribulations of watching Little Women with her seventy-two-year-old Dominican grandmother, Dimple allowed herself to tune out.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.