PEOPLE - Bad Experience

What is a word for bad experience?

Answer:

A "bad experience" is a pretty broad and vague term. To come up with the proper synonym one should perhaps try to more clearly define what characterized the experience as bad. Let's make three sentences that use the phrase "bad experience" and see what we can come up with. 

1. Gerald's bad experience in high school history classes inclined him to hate history.
2. Her bad experiences with flying led her to prefer taking the train.
3. John seemed plagued with bad experiences when it came to dating. 

The first two sentences are cause (bad experience) leads to effect. When we think about the particulars behind the sentence it helps.

What experiences in the history classes Gerald took in high school made them bad? Was it the fact that Gerald really wanted to learn something while the other students didn't and so the teacher didn't try to teach; or was it that Gerald's teachers expected Gerald to take the class seriously, which Gerald did not want to do, busy as he was with football, and so he found himself graded down?

• In the first instance, "Gerald's high school history classes bored him, which inclined him to hate history."

• In the second instance, "The consequences of Gerald's lack of commitment in high school history classes inclined him to hate history."

In sentence two, let's assume that "her" problems were related to turbulence in the air. Thus, "The discomfort she felt bumping through air while flying led her to prefer taking the train."

Finally, John often found himself dating clingy women. So..."John's romantic misfortunes often included finding himself involved with a clingy date.

In the end, write with greater specificity and you solve the problem of finding another word for the vague term "bad experience."