hardship
HARD-ship
/ˈhɑːrdʃɪp/
Severe suffering or privation; a condition of life that is difficult or unpleasant.
Refers to the difficulties and suffering associated with a lack of resources or difficult circumstances, rather than the state of poverty itself.
The story behind the word. 'Hardship' is a compound word formed from 'hard' (from Old English 'heard,' meaning firm, severe, difficult) and the suffix '-ship' (indicating state or condition, as in 'friendship'). It emerged in the 17th century to describe the condition of experiencing severe difficulty or suffering.
Word relationships
- suffering: General term for experiencing pain or distress.
- adversity: Difficulties; misfortune.
- comfort: A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.
- ease: Absence of difficulty or effort.
Commonly confused with
- difficulty: Hardship implies severe, often prolonged difficulty and suffering, more intense than a mere 'difficulty'.
Collocations
- economic hardship
- financial hardship
- endure hardship
- face hardship
- overcome hardship
- times of hardship
Example sentences
- "Many immigrants face significant hardship as they strive to build new lives in a foreign land." Describing challenges faced by immigrants.
- "The soldiers endured immense hardship during the long winter campaign, battling both the enemy and the elements." From a historical account of wartime.
Memory hook
Think of a 'HARD-SHIP' sailing through a storm – enduring great difficulty and suffering. Hard ship, stormy seas
When not to use
Don't use 'hardship' to mean 'poverty' directly. Poverty is the cause, hardship is the effect or experience.
Fun facts
- The '-ship' suffix is quite old and productive in English, creating nouns that denote a state, condition, or quality (e.g., 'friendship,' 'lordship,' 'citizenship').
Explore more words
deprivation, adversity, endurance, inhospitable, anguish, solace
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.