tribulation

noun

trib·​u·​la·​tion ˌtri-byə-ˈlā-shən 

: distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution

also : a trying experience

the trials and tribulations of starting a new business

Did you know?

IT's Not Hard to Learn About Tribulation

It would be an understatement to say that undergoing trials and tribulations is a drag, but the origins of the word tribulation have much to do with literal dragging. Tribulation comes (via Anglo-French) from the Latin noun tribulum, which refers to an ancient tool that separates grain seed from the rest of the plant when it is dragged over a harvest. If one imagines such a thresher working on a human being—a harrowing thought, indeed—the connection to tribulation’s present meaning is understandable. These days, tribulation is commonly used as a plural noun and paired with trials to refer to any kind of drawn-out struggle, though lovers of John Milton's famous 17th century epic poem Paradise Lost may recognize it, unpaired, from a passage describing life as "Tri'd in sharp tribulation, and refin'd / By Faith and faithful works."

Synonyms

• affliction
• agony
• anguish
• distress
• excruciation
• hurt
• misery
• pain
• rack
• strait(s)
• torment
• torture
• travail
• woe

Examples of tribulation in a Sentence

Her son's illness has been a source of great tribulation.

The play is about the tribulations of a family of immigrants in New York.

Recent Examples on the Web

Anyone else hear that this is the beginning of seven-year period of tribulation during which Antichrist will rise from Hell and trigger Armageddon? —Jay Martel, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

The characters endure tribulation as the specific texture of their personalities remains at a distance. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024

In fact, the singer who shared vocals (and decades of triumphs and tribulations) with her Fleetwood Mac bandmates Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie has never even heard of the Broadway smash. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2024

Even the most vulnerable patrons of an unforgiving desert can confront tribulation with the command of unconquerable spirits. —Yahya Salem, CNN, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tribulacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French tribulacion, borrowed from Late Latin trībulātiōn-, trībulātiō, from trībulāre "to torment, afflict" (going back to Latin, "to press, squeeze") + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action; trībulāre, derivative of trībulum "threshing board (board with flint or iron teeth dragged across harvested grain to separate seeds from straw)," from trī- (base of trītum, trīvī, past participle and perfect of terere "to rub, grind, wear down") + -bulum, suffix of instruments (going back to Indo-European *-d^hlom) — more at {mat|trite}

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

tribulation

noun

trib·​u·​la·​tion ˌtrib-yə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: distress or suffering resulting from cruel or unjust treatment or misfortune

2

: a trying experience