tribulation

noun

trib·​u·​la·​tion ˌtri-byə-ˈlā-shən 

: distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution

also : a trying experience

the trials and tribulations of starting a new business

Did you know?

IT's Not Hard to Learn About Tribulation

The writer and Christian scholar Thomas More, in his 1534 work A dialoge of comforte against tribulation, defined the title word as "euery such thing as troubleth and greueth [grieveth] a man either in bodye or mynde." These days, however, the word tribulation is commonly used as a plural noun, paired with trials, and relates less to oppression and more to any kind of uphill struggle. Tribulation comes from a Latin noun meaning "threshing board."

Synonyms

• affliction
• agony
• anguish
• distress
• excruciation
• hurt
• misery
• pain
• rack
• strait(s)
• torment
• torture
• travail
• woe

Examples of tribulation in a Sentence

Her son's illness has been a source of great tribulation.

The play is about the tribulations of a family of immigrants in New York.

Recent Examples on the Web

If only the creators would have stuck with the quotidian tribulations that best befit Garfield rather than opting for high-stakes stunts that betray him. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 20 May 2024

The tribulations of Vietnam, however, remained a delicate subject that few major studios would touch until well into the decade. —Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tribulacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin tribulation-, tribulatio, from tribulare to press, oppress, from tribulum drag used in threshing, from terere to rub — more at throw entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

tribulation

noun

trib·​u·​la·​tion ˌtrib-yə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: distress or suffering resulting from cruel or unjust treatment or misfortune

2

: a trying experience