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Showing results for difficulty. Search instead for quasi-difficultly.
Synonyms

difficulty

American  
[dif-i-kuhl-tee] / ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌl ti /

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 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
"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

Other Word Forms

  • predifficulty noun

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I feel so bad. He’s got some difficulty — there was an accident, and that’s all I know,” Trump said.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2026

In its March 18 rate decision, the central bank said the economy was having difficulty absorbing excess slack.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Six others were rescued, with one of them taken to hospital requiring urgent care, after migrants got into difficulty boarding a boat near Calais on Wednesday morning.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

“Something that I have been feeling since I was young is a sense of difficulty connecting in real life,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

We glazed at each other until Idiptu, with difficulty, forced himself to relax.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.