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

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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

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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

Residents in and around Hastings who had been assured of tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry say they have had "considerable difficulty" obtaining the tickets.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

However, Chin said semiconductor equipment makers are having difficulty ramping up the tools that go into chip-fabrication plants.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

An ocean ministry official told AFP that experts had raised concerns about the shark's health because it "had not been seen eating and appeared to have difficulty maintaining its balance while swimming".

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Days after winning the championship last summer, Dolan laid out the difficulty of trying to retain a historic roster under modern salary rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

It was clear that she was having great difficulty remaining in focus and disappeared before the séance ended.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

This suggests that astronauts who maintain their cardiovascular fitness during spaceflight may be capable of transitioning to the weaker gravity of Mars without experiencing major cardiovascular difficulties.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Now, El Niño is set to “compound the difficulties if it is as strong as predicted,” Yergin’s team said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Water difficulties are forcing many Cubans to haul the precious resource for long distances, transporting it via wheelbarrows, bicycles, car trunks and even horse-drawn carts.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Fauzi Rahman, another firefighter in Palangkaraya, highlighted this as one of the main difficulties confronting him and his peers.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

The Germans had reached the Channel, the British army was in difficulties.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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Related Words

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

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