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

But Arana amplified the moves, increasing the difficulty within sequences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

"And the difficulty with a lot of the problems that he's dealing with" is that they are "30, 40, 50 years in their evolution".

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

The difficulty lies in the technology’s combination of extreme complexity with extreme precision, said Chris Miller, a historian of technology at Tufts University and author of “Chip War.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Only with difficulty did Adaon’s tall steed enter; and Islimach rolled her eyes frantically as the thorns tore at her flanks.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

However, whilst Vrticka agrees that attachment styles shouldn't be seen as either good or bad, he stresses they "come with certain risks and difficulties", which he says shouldn't be disregarded.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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

I’d wanted to protect them from life’s difficulties, but they wanted to be at home.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

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