tribulation.

Serious hardship, distress, or an ordeal endured over time.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• trials and tribulations
• years of tribulation

On the page

The memoir records years of tribulation without self-pity.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Countable or uncountable by context; countable singular tribulation; plural tribulations. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.