: 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
The writer and Christian scholar Thomas More, in his 1534 work A dialoge of comforte against tribulation, defined the title word as "euery such thing as troubleth and greueth [grieveth] a man either in bodye or mynde." These days, however, the word tribulation is commonly used as a plural noun, paired with trials, and relates less to oppression and more to any kind of uphill struggle. Tribulation comes from a Latin noun meaning "threshing board."
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 WebThe most recent tribulation involved whether or not Styles spit on Chris Pine during a screening of the movie at the Venice Film Festival. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 7 Sep. 2022 Creatives seem to take up hikes more prone to emotional tribulation than others. Alex Wagner, SPIN, 17 Aug. 2022 Its name is derived from the 2020 ESPN/Netflix documentary that chronicles the Bulls’ trials and tribulation during the ’97-’98 season, which brought the franchise its sixth NBA championship in eight years. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2022 Families are made – and sometimes made stronger –through trials, tribulation, recognizing human frailty, and - when tested – choosing love and loyalty. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2022 Families are made — and sometimes made stronger — through trials, tribulation, recognizing human frailty, and — when tested — choosing love and loyalty.Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2022 Families are made — and sometimes made stronger —through trials, tribulation, recognizing human frailty, and – when tested — choosing love and loyalty.cleveland, 17 Apr. 2022 Families are made — and sometimes made stronger —through trials, tribulation, recognizing human frailty, and – when tested — choosing love and loyalty. Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 17 Apr. 2022 Families are made — and sometimes made stronger —through trials, tribulation, recognizing human frailty, and – when tested — choosing love and loyalty. Amy Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, 17 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English tribulacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin tribulation-, tribulatio, from tribulare to press, oppress, from tribulum drag used in threshing, from terere to rub — more at throw entry 1