Hardship means serious difficulty, suffering, or a painful situation. It often refers to times when life is hard because of lack of money, food, shelter, health, or other basic needs.

Quick Scoop

In everyday language, hardship can describe:

  • Financial hardship : not having enough money to cover essentials.
  • Personal hardship : going through loss, illness, or other tough life events.
  • Legal hardship : a severe burden that may justify special relief or an exception.

Simple example

  • “After losing his job, he faced real hardship.”

Bottom line

If something is a hardship, it is hard to endure and causes distress or loss.