hardship

noun

hard·​ship ˈhärd-ˌship 

1

: privation, suffering

recovering from financial hardship

2

: something that causes or entails suffering or privation

the hardships of life on the frontier

Synonyms of hardship

• difficulty

Examples of hardship in a Sentence

He had suffered through considerable hardship.

The city has been experiencing a period of financial hardship.

They had to endure the hardships of life on the frontier.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump said late Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places as the region experiences freezing temperatures that have brought widespread hardship to civilians. —Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026

Still, the goal is to make necessary changes before hardship. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026

During the shutdown last year, the administration used other funds to pay members of the military to ease their financial hardship. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026

In normal times, leaders might hesitate to impose that kind of moral weight on employees already living through the hardships of a global crisis. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

hardship

noun

hard·​ship ˈhärd-ˌship 

1

: pain entry 1 sense 2a, privation

2

: something that causes pain or loss