Noun: adversity ad'vur-si-tee [N. Amer], ud'vur-si-tee [Brit]
- A state of misfortune or affliction
"debt-ridden farmers struggling with adversity";
- hardship, hard knocks [informal]
- A stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event
"a period marked by adversities"
Derived forms: adversities
Type of: bad luck, ill luck, misfortune, tough luck
Encyclopedia: Adversity