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

There are so many hardships that underlie a lot of situations and scenarios. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

And a 2025 study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics showed that state minimum-wage increases meaningfully reduced poverty and food hardship, not just for minimum-wage workers but across the broader working-age population. —Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026

Dern’s life has seen an incredible juxtaposition between privilege and hardship. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 20 May 2026

Meanwhile, claimants in the trial argued that criminal proceedings will move slowly, bringing financial hardship for some who lost their family breadwinner in the collapse. —Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 20 May 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