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

It would be an understatement to say that undergoing trials and tribulations is a drag, but the origins of the word tribulation have much to do with literal dragging. Tribulation comes (via Anglo-French) from the Latin noun tribulum, which refers to an ancient tool that separates grain seed from the rest of the plant when it is dragged over a harvest. If one imagines such a thresher working on a human being—a harrowing thought, indeed—the connection to tribulation’s present meaning is understandable. These days, tribulation is commonly used as a plural noun and paired with trials to refer to any kind of drawn-out struggle, though lovers of John Milton's famous 17th century epic poem Paradise Lost may recognize it, unpaired, from a passage describing life as "Tri'd in sharp tribulation, and refin'd / By Faith and faithful works."

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

From his first girlfriend, living in his London apartment with his Jamaican parents, to moments at the house of ill fame and the tribulations of being a Bronx landlord, observers are offered a realistic depiction of Slick Rick’s journey to legend. —Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

At this point, a bogey on the hole would be a massive relief considering the tribulations to reach the green. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 12 June 2025

Instead, Chernow devotes a hefty portion of his 1,039 pages (excluding notes) to Twain’s personal tribulations, a depressing series of bungles and calamities starting in the author’s middle age. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025

Popularized by the 1909 Scofield Bible and modern televangelism, this theology sees Israel's 1948 founding not as Jewish self-determination but as a prophetic sign of the end times marked by global tribulation, Jewish conversion, and Christ's return to rule from Jerusalem. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tribulacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French tribulacion, borrowed from Late Latin trībulātiōn-, trībulātiō, from trībulāre "to torment, afflict" (going back to Latin, "to press, squeeze") + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action; trībulāre, derivative of trībulum "threshing board (board with flint or iron teeth dragged across harvested grain to separate seeds from straw)," from trī- (base of trītum, trīvī, past participle and perfect of terere "to rub, grind, wear down") + -bulum, suffix of instruments (going back to Indo-European *-d^hlom) — more at {mat|trite}

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tribulation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

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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