adversity

noun

ad·​ver·​si·​ty ad-ˈvər-sə-tē How to pronounce adversity (audio)
plural adversities
: a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune
showing courage in the face of adversity

Did you know?

Adversity comes from Middle English adversite, meaning "opposition, hostility, misfortune, or hardship," which itself is from Latin adversus, the source of adverse, which means "bad or unfavorable," as in "adverse criticism" or "an adverse reaction to the medication."

Choose the Right Synonym for adversity

misfortune, mischance, adversity, mishap mean adverse fortune or an instance of this.

misfortune may apply to either the incident or conjunction of events that is the cause of an unhappy change of fortune or to the ensuing state of distress.

never lost hope even in the depths of misfortune

mischance applies especially to a situation involving no more than slight inconvenience or minor annoyance.

took the wrong road by mischance

adversity applies to a state of grave or persistent misfortune.

had never experienced great adversity

mishap applies to an often trivial instance of bad luck.

the usual mishaps of a family vacation

Examples of adversity in a Sentence

After two years of research, I discovered that everyone has a crisis personality survivor IQ—that they marshal in a moment of adversity: a mindset and ways of thinking about a situation. Ben Sherwood, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2009
Perhaps because their brains are wired differently, dyslexics are often skilled problem solvers, coming at solutions from novel or surprising angles and making conceptual leaps.  … It may also be that their early struggle with reading better prepares them for dealing with adversity in a volatile, fast-changing world. Christine Gorman, Time, 28 July 2003
High school, college and even NFL teams have been getting a quick morale boost by going to see Remember the Titans, the schmaltzy but uplifting story about (what else?) a football squad overcoming adversity. Sports Illustrated, 6 Nov. 2000
The narrative plot is clearly defined, and it is classically familiar: Huck (without Jim) and Tom Sawyer light out for unknown territory to discover their manhood by successfully confronting the harsh adversities of life. John W. Aldridge, Atlantic, August 1994
He showed courage in the face of adversity. We had to learn to deal with adversity.
Recent Examples on the Web That clockwork-like reliability to produce exponential sales growth in the face of adversity is why the company earned its rich valuation in the first place. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024 Despite its jaunty title, Zero to Hero is a profound and serious story of human triumph in the face of adversity. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024 Still, many feel drawn to stay, wanting to live somewhere where everybody knows everybody and where sticking around through adversity is seen as a mark of achievement. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Weir said the group of seniors had to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19 as freshmen, and fought through adversity during their high school careers. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024 Ben Johnson and the Detroit offense didn't panic Credit the Lions offense and coordinator Ben Johnson – who appears very likely to end up with a head coaching gig whenever the Detroit offseason arrives – for working through early-game adversity. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 But Bananarama has spun gold out of staying strong in the face of adversity. Joe Lynch, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Her lust for life, even in the face of adversity, is utterly infectious (and a formidable entry in the Best Actress category). Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 These leaders persist in the face of adversity and stand out as thoughtful community members who are transforming their communities. Sabrina Bodon, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adversity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adversite "opposition, hostility, misfortune, hardship," borrowed from Anglo-French adversité, aversité, borrowed from Late Latin adversitāt-, adversitās (Latin, "power of counteracting"), from Latin adversus adverse + -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adversity was in the 13th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near adversity

Cite this Entry

“Adversity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversity. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

adversity

noun
ad·​ver·​si·​ty ad-ˈvər-sət-ē How to pronounce adversity (audio)
plural adversities
: an instance or condition of serious or continued misfortune

More from Merriam-Webster on adversity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!