difficulty

American  

[dif-i-kuhl-tee] / ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌl ti /

noun

difficulties plural

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.

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difficulty British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predifficulty
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• difficulties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of difficulty

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

Explanation

A difficulty is anything that gives you a hard or difficult time. If you eat a lot of chips and dip before dinner, you may have some difficulty finishing your meal. A difficulty is anything that causes problems. Forgetting an answer during a test could be a difficulty. A broken leg is a more painful difficulty. A poor economy is a difficulty, and losing your job is a more personal difficulty. A difficulty is also anything that’s not easy to do, like becoming a doctor or lifting a huge weight. Difficulties are generally serious or hard to overcome. If you’re having difficulty, you’re having troubles.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

difficulty difficulties

Preliminary findings indicate that the apps may have greater difficulty evaluating meals from a low-carb ketogenic diet.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Sanders pegged voter disaffection on the increasing difficulty and cost of living in the United States.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

In 2024, the Royals were demoted from tier two to tier five after the club fell into financial difficulty, while the Addicks were disbanded entirely in 2007 after the men's team suffered relegation.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

"I was floating like a dead body, and after great difficulty managed to raise my head slightly."

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

And that was precisely the difficulty: to break the stones to the required size.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Det Ch Insp Al Pitcher, of Essex Police, previously said the Rahmans were "trying to help" Musa after he "got into difficulties" in the water.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Mr. Devine outlined the difficulties and pressed Mr. Sanders on why he wanted to do it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

If we are “Five-Star”-fortunate, we can hire assistance to handle the inevitable difficulties associated with this time of life, whether that means groundskeepers or divorce lawyers.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Where difficulties will arise is in the sectors where the cheap-money era is most embedded: private equity and private credit.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Every attempt at reconstruction runs into difficulties and we have not a single word from Brunelleschi to help us.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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