hard ‧ ship /ˈhɑːdʃɪp $ ˈhɑːrd-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ hardship , ↑ hardness , ↑ hardiness ; adjective : ↑ hard , ↑ hardened , ↑ hardy ; adverb : ↑ hard , ↑ hardly ; verb : ↑ harden ]
something that makes your life difficult or unpleasant, especially a lack of money, or the condition of having a difficult life:
an economic policy that caused great hardship for many people
Many students are suffering severe financial hardship.
hardship of
the hardships of war
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ cause/create hardship
The severe winter caused great hardship in remote villages.
▪ experience/suffer hardship ( also endure hardship formal )
Many pensioners experienced hardship paying the tax.
▪ face hardship (=will be affected by a difficult or painful situation)
One in four families in Britain is facing financial hardship.
▪ inflict hardship on somebody (=make someone be in a difficult or painful situation, used for emphasis)
Civil war has inflicted hardship and suffering on thousands of people.
▪ alleviate hardship formal (=make it less severe)
The program aims to alleviate hardship among the poorest sections of society.
■ adjectives
▪ great/immense/deep hardship (=a lot of hardship)
In the early years, the settlers faced great hardship.
▪ severe/serious/extreme hardship (=very bad )
The 1930s brought severe hardship to the Midwest, especially for Oklahoma.
▪ economic/financial hardship
The closure of the steelworks caused economic hardship for the town.
▪ considerable/substantial hardship
It is a region of considerable hardship and poverty.
▪ real/genuine hardship
Prolonged illness can cause real hardship for many families.
▪ unnecessary hardship
The ban is causing unnecessary hardship for fishermen.
▪ undue hardship law (=more than is reasonable)
His deportation would pose undue hardship on family members left in the United States.
▪ physical hardship (=when you lack the things that your body needs)
The people of the war-torn region face severe physical hardship.
▪ personal hardship (=hardship that affects you rather than other people or people in general)
The personal hardship experienced by my client includes the loss of his home, his job and his family.
▪ material hardship (=a serious lack of money or of things that you need in order to live)
Emergency government aid helped to relieve the flood victims' material hardship.
■ phrases
▪ in times of hardship
In times of hardship, your family may be the only people you can go to for help.