1
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this
many people came face-to-face with life-altering adversity when the stock market crashed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hardship
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal
some overcame all the adversities of the Great Depression and rebuilt their fortunes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adversity
After waltzing past Paraguay and seeing off Australia in Seattle, the match against Turkey marked the first real time the Americans had faced adversity in this World Cup.
—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Being the older brother of Carmine and Natalie, Michael takes on the burden of running and owning the shop, despite the issues that come with it, proving Scorpio's power in the face of adversity.
—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
25 June 2026
Parker’s not the first to tell students that overcoming adversity is the ultimate rite of passage for successful people.
—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
24 June 2026
The most successful teams are built from adversity.
—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversity
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
Being the older brother of Carmine and Natalie, Michael takes on the burden of running and owning the shop, despite the issues that come with it, proving Scorpio's power in the face of adversity.
—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
25 June 2026
Parker’s not the first to tell students that overcoming adversity is the ultimate rite of passage for successful people.
—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
24 June 2026
The most successful teams are built from adversity.
—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversity
Noun
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For some reason, the Lions have long been plagued by misfortune on their defense, especially in the secondary.
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There’s Kimi Antonelli’s sudden rise, which so far seems to be one for the ages, while George Russell’s run of misfortune is certainly captivating.
Noun
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The decrease in customers comes at a crucial time, after years of hardships for local restaurateurs.
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The town’s predicament highlights the limits of any ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, and the lingering hardship faced by residents whose lives have been upended by years of conflict.
Noun
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First a human scores a model’s outputs — say, how likely a character in a drama would be to react to news of a tragedy with a host of jokes or expressions of sympathy — going back with one score after another to various responses.
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The parents of the teen killed in the horse carriage crash in Central Park are remembering their son as rides resume a week after the tragedy.
Noun
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This game preserves the difficulty of coming up with an elaborate, consistent false narrative on the spot, and the challenge of adapting that narrative on the fly when other players present convincing (and sometimes fake) counter-evidence.
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Even if polls point to a majority, a potential coalition spanning left, right, center and Arab parties would face real difficulty forming a government – and keeping it together.
Cite this Entry
“Adversity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversity. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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