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

1. a time of difficulty