hardship

hardship — noun

1. a condition of severe difficulty in life, especially when you lack money, food,

1.nounB2
Definition

a condition of severe difficulty in life, especially when you lack money, food, or other necessities that most people depend on

Example

The family faced great hardship after the factory closed and wages stopped.

collocation: face / endure hardship

Mizuki's family endured many hardships during the years of war and displacement.

hardship as countable noun (many hardships)

Common collocations
  • face hardship
  • endure hardship
  • suffer hardship
  • cause hardship
  • economic hardship
  • financial hardship
  • great hardship
  • severe hardship
  • extreme hardship
  • unnecessary hardship
  • a period of hardship
  • a life of hardship
Synonyms
  • adversity

    more formal; emphasises a difficult situation that opposes or works against you; often used in literary or formal contexts

  • difficulty

    more general and less severe; covers any challenge or problem, from minor to serious

  • deprivation

    specifically focuses on the lack of basic necessities such as food, shelter, or medical care

  • suffering

    emphasises the physical or emotional pain that results from hardship

Antonyms
  • comfort

    a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or worry

  • prosperity

    the state of being successful and having enough money and good living conditions

Grammar Patterns

hardship + of + noun phrase

hardship + for + person/group

Usage Note

Frequently uncountable when referring to the general condition (e.g. "a life of hardship"), but countable when listing specific difficulties (e.g. "the hardships of war"). Often used in formal or serious contexts rather than for everyday minor problems.

Common Mistakes

I had a hardship finding the parking lot.
I had difficulty finding the parking lot.
'hardship' describes serious life difficulties, not everyday inconveniences.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hardship describes a condition of ongoing severe difficulty, often involving a lack of basic needs like money, food, or shelter. Difficulty is a milder, more general term that covers any problem or challenge, from small everyday issues to serious ones. Adversity is more formal and focuses on circumstances that oppose or work against you; it often refers to a series of unfortunate events or trials. Deprivation specifically highlights the absence of basic necessities such as food, housing, or medical care. For example: 'The family endured great hardship after losing their home' vs 'She overcame many difficulties to finish her degree' vs 'He remained cheerful in the face of adversity' vs 'The children suffered from severe deprivation during the famine.'

hardship ↗difficulty ↗adversity ↗deprivation

Common collocations

Nouns

  • period
  • life
  • years
  • conditions
  • times

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a life of hardship
  • in times of hardship
  • no hardship (e.g. 'It was no hardship to walk home')

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the adjective 'hard' (Old English 'heard' meaning firm, difficult) and the suffix '-ship', which forms nouns indicating a state or condition. Originally meant 'quality of being hard', then shifted to mean 'difficult conditions of life' by the 1500s.