difficulty

[dif-i-kuhl-tee]

noun

plural

difficulties 

1. the fact or condition of being difficult.

2. Often difficulties. an embarrassing situation, especially of financial affairs.

   Synonyms: strait, exigency, fix, plight, quandary, predicament, dilemma

3. a trouble or struggle.

   Synonyms: problem

4. a cause of trouble, struggle, or embarrassment.

5. a disagreement or dispute.

6. reluctance; unwillingness.

7. a demur; objection.

8. something that is hard to do, understand, or surmount; an impediment or obstacle.

difficulty

/ ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being difficult

2. a task, problem, etc, that is hard to deal with

3. (often plural) a troublesome or embarrassing situation, esp a financial one

4. a dispute or disagreement

5. (often plural) an objection or obstacle

   he always makes difficulties

6. a trouble or source of trouble; worry

7. lack of ease; awkwardness

   he could run only with difficulty

Other Word Forms

• predifficulty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of difficulty¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English difficulte, from Anglo-French, from Latin difficultās, equivalent to difficil(is) difficile + -tās -ty ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of difficulty¹

C14: from Latin difficultās, from difficilis difficult, from dis- not + facilis easy, _facile

Example Sentences

"Whenever the regime feels threatened or in difficulty, it responds with a crackdown and a wave of repression," the researcher said.

Read more on Barron's

The difficulty then becomes accounting for the wild swings mile split to mile split.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Our main difficulty was the lack of educational resources" in English and Persian, he said.

Read more on Barron's

Companies who were experiencing difficulties could contact the ministry or local commerce authorities, the Chinese ministry spokesperson said.

Read more on Barron's

Carlyle executives said the light quarter for exits stemmed from the unpredictable timing of when transactions close, not any underlying difficulty in selling assets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• anxiety 
• complication 
• crisis 
• embarrassment 
• frustration 
• inconvenience 
• misery 
• predicament 
• pressure 
• setback 
• stress 
• strife 
• struggle 
• trouble 
• worry