adversity
/ədˈvəːsɪti
/noun (plural adversities) [mass noun]
A difficult or unpleasant situation: resilience in the face of adversity [count noun]: she overcame many adversities...
- Her brilliance at the keyboard is an inspirational example of how talent can overcome adversity.
- He has overcome massive adversity throughout the last three-and-a-half years.
- These would offer hope and understanding at a time when there's so much suffering and adversity in the world.
Synonyms
misfortune, ill luck, bad luck, trouble, difficulty, hardship, distress, disaster, misadventure, suffering, affliction, sorrow, misery, heartbreak, heartache, wretchedness, tribulation, woe, pain, trauma, torment, torture;
mishap, stroke of ill luck, stroke of bad luck, accident, shock, upset, reverse, reversal, reversal of fortune, setback, crisis, catastrophe, tragedy, calamity, trial, cross, burden, blow, buffet, vicissitude, issue;
hard times, dire straits, trials and tribulations
informal hell, hell on earth, hassle, stress
literary dolour, travails
Origin
Middle English: from Old French adversite, from Latin adversitas, from advertere 'turn towards'.