noun
bitter experience; hardship; distress; misery
A painful or unfortunate experience that one undergoes, rather than simple sadness. Most natural in fixed written-style collocations such as 憂き目に遭う, 憂き目を見る, or 憂き目を味わう.
その会社は不況で倒産の憂き目に遭った。
The company suffered the bitter experience of going bankrupt in the recession.
彼は信
He went through the painful experience of being betrayed by a friend he trusted.
This mixed kana-kanji spelling is search-only; it is useful for lookup but not the preferred form.
More everyday and broader; it can mean effort, trouble, or hardship, while 憂き目 focuses on an unfortunate experience one suffers.
A literary word for bitter hardships, especially in 辛酸をなめる; 憂き目 is often used with 遭う or 見る.
Refers to a misfortune or calamity itself; 憂き目 emphasizes the painful experience or fate of undergoing it.
Analyzable as 憂き, an older attributive form meaning 'painful' or 'sorrowful,' plus 目 in the sense of an experience or situation; the compound literally suggests a painful experience.