tribulation

tribulation
    n 1: an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; "his
         mother-in-law's visits were a great trial for him"; "life
         is full of tribulations"; "a visitation of the plague"
         [syn: {trial}, {tribulation}, {visitation}]
    

Tribulation \Trib`u*la"tion\, n. [OE. tribulacium, F.
   tribulation, L. tribulatio, from tribulare to press, afflict,
   fr. tribulum a thrashing sledge, akin to terere, tritum, to
   rub. See {Trite}.]
   That which occasions distress, trouble, or vexation; severe
   affliction.
   [1913 Webster]

         When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the
         word, by and by he is offended.          --Matt. xiii.
                                                  21.
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         In the world ye shall have tribulation.  --John. xvi.
                                                  33.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Tribulation
trouble or affiction of any kind (Deut. 4:30; Matt. 13:21; 2
Cor. 7:4). In Rom. 2:9 "tribulation and anguish" are the penal
sufferings that shall overtake the wicked. In Matt. 24:21, 29,
the word denotes the calamities that were to attend the
destruction of Jerusalem.
    

39 Moby Thesaurus words for "tribulation":
      adverse circumstances, adversity, affliction, aggravation,
      annoyance, blight, bummer, calvary, care, cross, crucible, curse,
      difficulties, difficulty, downer, fiery ordeal, hard knocks,
      hard life, hard lot, hardcase, hardship, irritation, oppression,
      ordeal, persecution, plight, predicament, pressure, rigor,
      sea of troubles, stress, stress of life, trial,
      trials and tribulations, trouble, troubles, vale of tears,
      vicissitude, visitation