ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

ad-
ac- — Used before c in Latin.
af- — Used before f in Latin.
ag- — Used before g in Latin.
al- — Used before l in Latin.
ap- — Used before p in Latin.
ar- — Used before r in Latin.
as- — Used before s in Latin.
at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

102 / 256

noun

adversity

ad-VUR-suh-tee/ədˈvɜːrsəti/

Serious difficulty or misfortune.

The woman faces adversity as she lifts a chair from her flood-damaged home.

After flood damage, woman stoically lifts a mud-soaked chair from small ruined household patch, overturned bucket and broken table leg show serious hardship; resilient strained face, sparse scene.

Etymology

adLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

+versLatinturn

+ityLatina quality or state

The turning image acquired the sense “turned against” or “hostile,” and the Latin noun meant “opposition.” Adversity applies this idea to the condition of facing misfortune, hardship, or serious difficulty.

In context

The Determined Society66:09

the drug addiction, death, loss prison divorce >> So many things. >> We all have, right? Well, there's we we all deal with a lot of adversity.

Overcoming Adversity | The Redcon1 Founder's Recovery Story

More examples

Her determination helped her face years of adversity.
The team grew closer in the face of adversity.
His memoir recounts the adversities of life in exile.

Forms

adversity · adversities

adverse adjective — Harmful or unfavorable to an outcome.

Similar words

hardship: Often emphasizes difficult living conditions or material deprivation.
misfortune: Emphasizes bad luck or an unfortunate event.