adversity

English

WOTD – 8 May 2012

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French adversité, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin adversitātem, the accusative singular of adversitās, from adversus, the perfect passive participle of advertō (“I turn toward”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ædˈvɝ.sɪ.ti/
• IPA^(key): /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/

• English (US):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

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• Hyphenation: ad‧ver‧si‧ty

Noun

adversity (usually uncountable, plural adversities)

1. (uncountable) The state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
   • 1858, Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne‎^[1], Read Books, published 2008, →ISBN, Chapter III, page 55:

     The doctor loved the squire, loved him as his oldest friend; but he loved him ten times better as being in adversity than he could ever have done had things gone well at Greshansbury in his time.

   • 2007, Earl Crouch, “When Adversity Strikes”, in Do You Know?‎^[2], PublishAmerica, →ISBN, page 60:

     God approves all adversity. Not all adversity that the Christian encounters is due to sins in the Christian's life. Not all adversity is the fault of the Christian.

   • 1998, Karel Montor, et al, “Directing and Coordinating Operations”, in Karel Montor, editor, Naval Leadership: Voices of Experience‎^[3], 2nd edition edition, Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, Efficient and Professional Conduct, page 278:

     These are the people who will overcome the adversity, chaos, and destruction of combat and defeat the enemy in war.

2. (countable) An event that is adverse; calamity.
   • 1977, Genevieve Burton, “Family Adversity and the Nurse”, in Interpersonal Relations: A Guide for Nurses‎^[4], Fourth edition edition, Routledge, published 1979, →ISBN, page 101:

     Every family is struck by adversity at one time or another. No matter how mature the patients are, regardless of the care an advantages they give their children, despite a desirable interactive love between family members, adversity will attack any family

Synonyms

• nakba

Related terms

• adverse
• adversely

Translations

state of being adverse

• Arabic: بُؤْس (ar) m (buʔs), ضَنْك (ḍank)
• Bulgarian: беда (bg) (beda), несполука (bg) (nespoluka)
• Catalan: adversitat f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 逆境 (zh) (nìjìng)

• Dutch: tegenspoed (nl), tegenslag (nl)
• Finnish: vastoinkäyminen (fi)
• French: malheur (fr) m, adversité (fr) f
• Galician: adversidade (gl) f
• Georgian: უბედურება (ubedureba), ჭირი (č̣iri), გასაჭირი (gasač̣iri)
• German: Widrigkeit (de) f, Ungemach (de) n (dated)
• Greek: αντιξοότητες (el) f pl (antixoótites)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:
• Italian: avversità (it) f
• Japanese: 逆境 (ぎゃっきょう, gyakkyō)
• Korean: 역경 (ko) (yeokgyeong)
• Norwegian: motgang (no) m
• Portuguese: adversidade (pt) f
• Romanian: adversitate (ro) f
• Russian: беда́ (ru) f (bedá), несча́стье (ru) n (nesčástʹje), бе́дствие (ru) n (bédstvije)
• Scottish Gaelic: ana-cothrom m
• Slovak: bieda f
• Spanish: adversidad (es) f
• Swedish: elände (sv) n, motgång (sv) c

adverse event

• Arabic: مُصِيبَة f (muṣība)
• Azerbaijani: qada, bəla (az), dərd (az), müsibət (az)
• Bulgarian: беда (bg) f (beda)
• Catalan: adversitat f
• Danish: modgang c
• Dutch: ramp (nl) f, tegenval (nl) m
• Finnish: vastoinkäyminen (fi)
• French: adversité (fr) f
• German: Widrigkeit (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: avversità (it) f
• Maori: poautinitini
• Norwegian: motgang (no) m
• Portuguese: adversidade (pt) f, infortúnio (pt) m
• Romanian: adversitate (ro) f
• Russian: неприя́тности (ru) f pl (neprijátnosti), несча́стья (ru) n pl (nesčástʹja), бе́дствия (ru) n pl (bédstvija), беда́ (ru) f (bedá)
• Slovak: bieda f
• Spanish: adversidad (es) f
• Swedish: motgång (sv) c