difficulty

[ dif-i-kuhl-tee, -kuhl-tee ]

/ ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌl ti, -kəl ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR difficulty ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural dif·fi·cul·ties.

the fact or condition of being difficult.

Often difficul·ties. an embarrassing situation, especially of financial affairs.

a trouble or struggle.

a cause of trouble, struggle, or embarrassment.

a disagreement or dispute.

reluctance; unwillingness.

a demur; objection.

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

Nearby words

Origin of difficulty

1350–1400; Middle English difficulte (< Anglo-French) < Latin difficultās, equivalent to difficil(is) difficile + -tās -ty²

SYNONYMS FOR difficulty

2. dilemma, predicament, quandary, plight, fix, exigency, strait. 3. problem.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR difficulty ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspre·dif·fi·cul·ty, noun, plural pre·dif·fi·cul·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for difficulty

The difficulty with Mr. Redford is, you see, as I understand it, he gets one million dollars a picture.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I do realize the difficulty in totally canceling productions of this opera.
Rudy Giuliani: Why I Protested ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’|Rudy Giuliani|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The battle to secure that funding is testament to the difficulty in making truly independent movies.
Mike Leigh Is the Master Filmmaker Who Hates Hollywood|Nico Hines|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mary and Tom are concerned for Cumming, too, “as in the past there has been difficulty.”
Alan Cumming: The Truth About My Father|Tim Teeman|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The fewer diagnostic criteria required to call a person impaired, the more “any difficulty whatsoever” can be deemed impairment.
Daydreaming Is Not a Disorder|Russell Saunders|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What sadness and difficulty may not his noble and generous spirit have had to encounter!
Alida|Amelia Stratton Comfield
Carl had to go to the very top of the pole, and then had some difficulty in tearing her from her hold.
O Pioneers!|Willa Cather
Every little opposition or difficulty will put him by a duty.
A Christian Directory (Volume 1 of 4)|Richard Baxter
This course will enable you to proceed without any difficulty.
English Grammar in Familiar Lectures|Samuel Kirkham
It is a very peculiar species, and some difficulty has been found in finding it a place.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.|John MacGillivray

British Dictionary definitions for difficulty

difficulty

/ (ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the state or quality of being difficult

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

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

a dispute or disagreement

(often plural) an objection or obstaclehe always makes difficulties

a trouble or source of trouble; worry

lack of ease; awkwardnesshe could run only with difficulty

Word Origin for difficulty

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for difficulty

difficulty

late 14c., from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultatem (nominative difficultas) "difficulty, distress, poverty," from difficilis "hard," from dis- "not, away from" (see dis-) + facilis "easy" (see facile).

difficulty

noun, plural dif·fi·cul·ties.

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Origin of difficulty

Examples from the Web for difficulty

difficulty

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for difficulty

difficulty