Meaning & use
troubling times
Last updated
UK/ˈtrʌblɪŋ taɪmz/
US/ˈtrʌblɪŋ taɪmz/
Meaning
phraseplural
A period of serious difficulty, worry, or uncertainty.
Grammar: Always plural; often used with 'these' or 'such': these troubling times, in such troubling times.
Patterns
- in these troubling times
- during troubling times
- these troubling times
In these troubling times, it is important to support one another.
The community came together during troubling times after the flood.
She wrote a song about hope in troubling times.
Common combinations
- in these troubling times
- In these troubling times, many families are struggling to pay bills.
- during troubling times
- During troubling times, people often turn to friends for comfort.
- face troubling times
- The company is facing troubling times as sales fall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hard times
- More informal and often about money or work; 'troubling times' can be about any kind of worry or difficulty.
- difficult period
- A neutral phrase; 'troubling times' adds a sense of emotional worry.
Opposites
good timespeaceful times
Word family
Practice
Which sentence uses 'troubling times' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Troubling times' is a plural phrase, so it does not take 'a' or 'the' in this generic sense. 'In a troubling times' is wrong because 'a' is singular, and 'troubling time' is not the usual fixed phrase.
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