ˈhärdˌship, ˈhȧd- noun
Etymology: Middle English hardshipe, from hard (I) + -shipe -ship
1.
a. : suffering , privation
years of danger and hardship
inflation was a cause of hardship
a life of hardship
b. : a particular instance or type of suffering or privation
the losses and hardships … entailed by war — Bertrand Russell
enduring cold, hunger, and other hardships
2. : something that causes or entails suffering or privation
cannot help thinking it a hardship that more indulgence is allowed to men than to women — James Boswell
one of the hardships of town life … is the absence of spring water — American Guide Series: North Carolina
all the hardships of the northern passage — head winds, fog — L.B.Schmidt
Synonyms: see difficulty