Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A state of hardship or affliction; misfortune.
- n. A calamitous event.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Adverse fortune or fate; a condition or state marked by misfortune, calamity, distress, or unhappiness.
- n. An unfortunate event or circumstance; an ill chance; a misfortune or calamity: generally in the plural.
- n. Synonyms Trouble, distress, misery, disaster, woe, ill luck.
Wiktionary
- n. uncountable The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
- n. countable An event that is adverse; calamity.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. obsolete Opposition; contrariety.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a state of misfortune or affliction
- n. a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event
Etymologies
- From Old French adversité, from Latin adversitātem, the accusative singular of adversitās, from adversus, the perfect passive participle of advertō (" I turn toward"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Adhering to the rule of law even in adversity is what lends us credence and is the real reason to be proud of who and what we are as a nation – we’d be wise to remember that.”
“Call it Renaissance 2.0 or whatever, but this adversity is going to result in an innovation boom.”
“So we know that the Czechs do not lack for courage in adversity and so perhaps Mr. Klaus will yet stand upright amongst so many reeds blown down in the wind.”
“We look at the idea of adversity, which is integral to Christianity, as abnormal and a sign that our walk must be flawed.”
“That is typical of Bent, uncrushed by disappointment, enthusiastic even in adversity, and not at all ready to give up on his England dream.”
The Guardian: Darren Bent: Missing out on World Cup squad hurt like hell
“Books have always been written in adversity, and have never paid well.”
“And struck a match - Ah, even in adversity life can be sweet.”
“I always remind people that in adversity, there's opportunity, Cheney added.”
“Your continuing courage and drive to keep looking forward despite adversity is an inspiration to us all.”
“TD: In a way, I sort of identify with the Russian dissident writer type, who, in spite of adversity, is determined to speak his mind.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘adversity’.
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EN - fine scholarly language
exhort, accretion, twenty-nine, atrophy, additive, brilliantly, interreligious, empiricism, pathologic, limitless, half-century, vigilant and 488 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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1500 word lists
TOEFL iBT - 1500 Academic Words
exhume, excess, explode, exceed, expenditure, expectant, exhibition, eutrophication, eruption, erode, ethical, enterprise and 142 more...
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06-13 GRE list
churlish, unswear, abnegate, abjure, state, indemnification, adumbrated, reny, abash, recondite, rescission, esoteric and 258 more...
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dickinsonian
psalteries, enamoring, estates, whim, calyx, hoisted, nought, pentateuchal, retina, obviated, revelation, stalactite and 193 more...
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5000 FREE SAT Words
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 229 more...
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the first list
an immense, grandiloquent list that loads like a thousand years sentence in stone. new words are in the other lists.
ridiculous, brummagem, predicament, sanctimonious, vapid, eschew, admonish, auspicious, capitulation, enumerate, lachrymose, tenet and 1648 more...
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Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 3063 more... -
words that I find intimidating.
It is what it says it is.
Forgive me, I'm new to this...anachronistic, schadenfreude, adversity, phallic, convoluted, straightforward, stoicism, baignoir, exaltation
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Masonry
Due to my absolute ignorance of masonry and masonic terms, this list is shamelessly copied from this masonic dictionary.
Feel free to add words (as soon as I complete my transcription).abif, accepted, accord, active member, adjournment, admonish, adoration, adversity, affiliate, affirmation, lawful age, aid of deity and 143 more...
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SAT Vocab
Redundant.
problematic, proclivity, prodigal, prodigious, prodigy, profane, profligate, profound, profusion, proliferation, prolific, prologue and 455 more...
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practice 2
100 words
momentous, domicile, adroit, ingenious, dexterous, genius, brevity, decorum, propriety, dignity, err, blunder and 91 more...
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SAT PSAT ALPHABETICAL A
abandon, abash, abate, abjure, ablution, abnegate, abominable, aboriginal, abortive, abrade, abridge, abrogate and 172 more...
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My GRE words
abase, abate, aberrant, abet, abeyance, abject, abjure, ablution, abnegation, abortive, abrogate, abscission and 140 more...
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Revised GRE Wordlist_2013
Vocabulary building for my quest of GRE 2013
ephemeral, esoteric, rhetoric, censure, egregious, pittance, dupe, mulct, paucity, alacrity, maintain, laconic and 1008 more...
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2011 July
New words
correspondent, promulgate, transgress, trite, ravine, corespondent, contrivance, contrive, expedient, conducive, clairvoyance, difform and 184 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for adversity.

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