tribulation

[ trib-yuh-ley-shuhn ]
/ ˌtrɪb yəˈleɪ ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR tribulation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

grievous trouble; severe trial or suffering.
an instance of this; an affliction, trouble, etc.

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Origin of tribulation

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin trībulātiōn- (stem of trībulātiō) distress, trouble, equivalent to trībulāt(us) (past participle of trībulāre to press, squeeze, derivative of trībulum threshing sledge, equivalent to trī-, variant stem of terere to rub, crush + -bulum noun suffix of instrument) + -iōn- -ion

Words nearby tribulation

tribrach, tribrachia, tribromide, tribromoacetaldehyde, tribromoethanol, tribulation, tribunal, tribunate, tribune, tribune group, tributary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to tribulation

heartache, misfortune, grief, misery, woe, adversity, distress, affliction, worry, blow, curse, oppression, bummer, wretchedness, sorrow, downer, crucible, visitation, difficulty, suffering

Example sentences from the Web for tribulation

British Dictionary definitions for tribulation

tribulation
/ (ˌtrɪbjʊˈleɪʃən) /

noun

a cause of distress
a state of suffering or distress

Word Origin for tribulation

C13: from Old French, from Church Latin trībulātiō, from Latin trībulāre to afflict, from trībulum a threshing board, from terere to rub
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