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

Food stamp cuts deepen hardship The 82-year-old said her benefits got slashed from $26 to $16. —Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025

The researchers determined that UV radiation was the single biggest stressor for the moss, and that the sporophytes handled it — and the other hardships — much better than the juvenile moss and moss stem cells did. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Nov. 2025

Presidents from Washington to FDR shifted the date around to accommodate wars, economic hardship and more. —Angele Latham, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Nov. 2025

But this 19th-century restaurant was put through one of its greatest hardships in the 21st century. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025

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