hard times
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun phrase: 1. A period of difficulty or hardship: This phrase refers to a time when circumstances are challenging, often involving financial struggle, emotional distress, or general adversity.
Usage and Examples
- Noun phrase:
- Many families faced hard times during the economic recession. (This describes a period of widespread financial difficulty.)
- He's been going through some hard times since he lost his job. (This indicates a personal period of struggle.)
- The novel 'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens critiques the social and economic conditions of the Industrial Revolution. (This is a proper noun, the title of a book about a period of societal hardship.)
Advanced Usage
- "to fall on hard times": to experience a sudden onset of difficulty, especially financial.
- After his business failed, he fell on hard times.
- "hard times ahead": used to predict or warn of upcoming difficulties.
- With the new regulations, there are hard times ahead for small businesses.
Variants and Related Words
- Hardship (n): severe suffering or privation.
- The drought caused great hardship for the farmers.
- Adversity (n): a difficult or unpleasant situation.
- She showed great strength in the face of adversity.
Synonyms
- Difficult period
- Tough times
- Struggle
- Trial
Related Phrases
- Belt-tightening: a reduction in spending.
- The hard times forced a period of belt-tightening for the company.
- Weather the storm: to survive a period of difficulty.
- Their goal is to weather the storm of these hard times.
Idioms
- When the going gets tough, the tough get going: This proverb means that when conditions become difficult, strong people take action. It is often used in the context of hard times.
- It's hard times for the team, but remember: when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Noun
- a time of difficulty