hardship

hard-ship · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Severe suffering or privation; difficult circumstances involving lack of basic necessities or comfort.

  2. 2.

    Something that causes suffering or difficulty.

Forms

plural: hardships

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    financial hardship — Severe lack of money
  • •
    hardship clause — A provision allowing relief from a contract in exceptional circumstances
  • •
    hardship allowance — Extra pay for difficult working conditions

Related words

Antonyms: comfort, ease, luxury, prosperity
See also: adversity, difficulty, suffering
Synonyms: adversity, difficulty, misfortune, privation, suffering

Etymology

From hard + -ship (suffix denoting state or condition), from Old English heard + -scipe. The word has been used since the 13th century to describe difficult conditions.