difficulty

noun

dif·​fi·​cul·​ty ˈdi-fi-(ˌ)kəl-tē 

plural difficulties

1

: the quality or state of being hard to do, deal with, or understand : the quality or state of being difficult

underestimated the difficulty of the task

has difficulty reading

climbs stairs with difficulty

2

: controversy, disagreement

unable to resolve their difficulties

3

: objection

made no difficulty in granting the request

4

: something difficult : impediment

encountering difficulties along the way

5

: embarrassment, trouble

—usually used in plural

financial difficulties

Synonyms

• adversity
• asperity
• hardness
• hardship
• rigor

Examples of difficulty in a Sentence

She underestimated the difficulty of saving so much money.

the many difficulties that he encountered on the road from poor orphan to head of a major corporation

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite the difficulties, the Steelers still finished with a 10-7 record and made a surprise playoff appearance, falling to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. —Sam Joseph, CNN, 11 June 2024

That emotional catharsis is a necessary but not sufficient way to overcome mental health difficulties. —Scott A. Roth, Parents, 10 June 2024

Such options gained visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, when more companies publicly advertised that consumers facing difficulty may skip or defer payments without penalties. —Cora Lewis, The Denver Post, 9 June 2024

Speaking with Lenny Kravitz for Interview Magazine in January 2012, Versace opened up about the difficulty of balancing being a mom and running a successful fashion house. —Ariana Quihuiz, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English difficulte, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French difficulté, borrowed from Latin difficultāt-, difficultās, from difficilis "hard to do, troublesome, intractable" (from dif-, probably assimilated form of dis- dis- + facilis "easy, accommodating") + -tāt-, -tās -ty — more at facile

Note: Latin difficultās presumably goes back to *dis-fakli-tāts and follows the same path as the base word, from *faklitāts to attested facultās (see faculty), with regular vowel weakening in a non-initial syllable. The word difficilis is derivationally peculiar, as the prefix dis- is regularly applied only to verbs and is not primarily privative—the expected negative counterpart to facilis should have been *infacilis. It has been hypothesized that dis- in this case is a permutation of *dus-, corresponding to Greek dys- "bad, ill" (see dys-; *dus- is otherwise unattested in Latin), or that difficilis is modeled on dissimilis "unlike" (see dissimilar; the adjective similis "like" takes a range of ordinarily verbal prefixes, perhaps following Greek equivalents). Neither solution is entirely satisfactory.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing difficulty

• learning difficulty

Kids Definition

difficulty

noun

dif·​fi·​cul·​ty ˈdif-ə-(ˌ)kəl-tē 

plural difficulties

1

: difficult nature

the difficulty of a task

2

: great effort

walked with difficulty

3

: something that is hard to do : obstacle

overcome difficulties

4

: a difficult or trying situation : trouble

in financial difficulties

5

: a disagreement in opinion

we ironed out our difficulties