difficulty
Americannoun
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the fact or condition of being difficult.
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Often difficulties. an embarrassing situation, especially of financial affairs.
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a trouble or struggle.
- Synonyms:
- problem
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a cause of trouble, struggle, or embarrassment.
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a disagreement or dispute.
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reluctance; unwillingness.
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a demur; objection.
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something that is hard to do, understand, or surmount; an impediment or obstacle.
noun
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the state or quality of being difficult
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a task, problem, etc, that is hard to deal with
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(often plural) a troublesome or embarrassing situation, esp a financial one
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a dispute or disagreement
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(often plural) an objection or obstacle
he always makes difficulties
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a trouble or source of trouble; worry
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lack of ease; awkwardness
he could run only with difficulty
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing difficulty
Messenger
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Spelling Practice, Unit 5
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Predicament, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
These findings suggest that nanoplastics may make it easier for stubborn biofilms to develop on surfaces used in water treatment and delivery, increasing the difficulty of removing them.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
The difficulty for investors is what to do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Emergency teams have been searching at a waterfall beauty spot near Loch Lomond after a woman was reported in difficulty in the water.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
However, the Icelandic court questioned the Japanese marriage certificate that Miyoko presented because it was only a photocopy, and she had difficulty proving that she was in fact Bobby’s legal wife.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The identification of the victims has been delayed by difficulties collecting DNA samples from relatives, some of whom are travelling from abroad.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Until now, attempts to produce it had been held back by difficulties in developing the right materials.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
When one of Carney’s European counterparts mentioned their difficulties with the personalities in the second administration, two Canadian officials said he responded: “I have to deal with these guys every day.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Natron Energy canceled plans to produce sodium-ion battery cells in North Carolina last year after funding difficulties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“If he would be so good as to read to them, it would be a kindness indeed! It would amuse away the difficulties of her part, and lessen the irksomeness of Miss Smith’s.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.