hard time

American  

noun

1. a period of difficulties or hardship.

2. Slang. time actually served in a prison or other penal institution.

   He had merely been fined before, but now was sentenced to 90 days' hard time in the county jail.

3. Informal. give a hard time, to bother, annoy, or harass.

   He gave me a hard time about the money I owe him.

---

hard time Idioms  

1. Also, hard times . A period of difficulty or hardship, especially financial hardship. For example, Since Mom died, Christmas has been a hard time for Dad , or It's been hard times for both of them since they split up . It is also put as have a hard time , as in I'm having a hard time finishing this book . Charles Dickens used Hard Times as the title of a novel about poverty (1854). A more recent version is have a time of it , which despite its ambiguity (not specifying either “good” or “bad”) nearly always means “experiencing difficulty”; for example, We had quite a time of it in that hurricane . [Late 1300s]

2. give someone a hard time . Annoy or harass someone. For example, Don't let him give you a hard time; he's often late himself . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

---

Etymology

Origin of hard time

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

If a person has a hard time cancelling a subscription, they form a negative association with the process, not a positive mentality about the prospect of saving money.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Customers had a hard time getting to showrooms in January because of frozen conditions on the roads.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

“It’s been a hard time for me, and I was able to overcome it,” he said at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

I know I had a hard time looking away from that Mets-Pirates game.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Okay, maybe right now he had a hard time remembering why, but still....

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Related Words

• admonition
• censure
• condemnation
• disapproval
• punishment
• rebuff
• reproach
• snub