1
as in hardship
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal
the many difficulties that he encountered on the road from poor orphan to head of a major corporation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complexity
something that makes a situation more complicated or difficult
there was a minor difficulty when we realized that the store had already closed
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in objection
a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent
the only difficulty I have with the dress is its color—does it come in anything besides purple?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in controversy
variance of opinion on a matter
the theologian's ongoing difficulties with the Vatican
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of difficulty
Ironically, to deal with these difficulties, Virginia would have to both check facts and do some inventing of her own.
—
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Raising the city’s garbage fee was another structural solution that aldermen and the mayor opted to avoid because of similar political difficulties.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The new runs will have various levels of difficulty, Leopold said.
—Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register, 6 Jan. 2026
Over the past decade, Williams slowly became a part of their lives, as all three shared the stories of their lives and asked each other questions that the other party found helpful in parsing out their difficulties.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Raising the city’s garbage fee was another structural solution that aldermen and the mayor opted to avoid because of similar political difficulties.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The new runs will have various levels of difficulty, Leopold said.
—Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register, 6 Jan. 2026
Over the past decade, Williams slowly became a part of their lives, as all three shared the stories of their lives and asked each other questions that the other party found helpful in parsing out their difficulties.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficulty
Noun
-
Merriam-Webster defines it as the description of someone or something in a state of possibly irreversible misfortune and hardship.—
Brenda Looper,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Among community theaters forced to close due to financial hardships was the nearby Artisan Center Theater in Hurst.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of adding complexity, Longbow removes it.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In contrast with that complexity, the reasons that the Sabres appear to finally, belatedly be pulling out of their dark decade and a half are simple.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At a City Hall news conference, the mayor responded to a question about retroactive changes to the 2026 budget, which aldermen passed over his objections last month, by reiterating the package could force personnel cuts.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
During the certification process, members of Congress have the opportunity to object to a state’s results, which triggers debate and then a vote about whether the objection is to be upheld.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The controversy stemmed from an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR filed by Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, which argued the racing organization wasn’t properly sharing its revenue with the teams that compete in the sport’s top company.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on culinary controversies and presidential proclamations.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Documents obtained by the outlet show that Sean died from an acute upper gastrointestinal bleed and severe metabolic acidosis, complications brought on by alcoholic liver cirrhosis.—
Vivian Kwarm,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Influenza can lead to complications and fatalities, especially in people 65 years and older or under 5 with fever, cough and sore throat.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That type of big-moment success was more the exception than the rule, however, in a Chiefs defensive season defined by letdowns in late, game-changing moments.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Smith maintained many of the gifts cited by Cannon fell under exceptions to the disclosure rules, including those governing charity event tickets and gifts for birthdays or holidays.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Plus, a jury acquitted a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent, a deli and a cookbook author are in a trademark dispute, and more.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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While carriage disputes are nothing news, and Disney has had high-profile ones with DirecTV and Charter in recent years, the YouTube TV situation is unique.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Until Verizon amends its complaint and the judge rules on the emergency request, there is no court directive preventing the association from moving forward with the rooftop work that Verizon says would interrupt wireless service in the area.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Beyond the service commitments, the complaint accuses HMM of conditioning access to space on the payment of peak season surcharges (PSS) and other extra-contractual fees—despite contract language that expressly barred such add-ons unless mutually agreed.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Difficulty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficulty. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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