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Wiktionary The Free Dictionary

difficulty

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English difficulte , from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas , from difficul , older form of difficilis ("hard to do, difficult"), from dis- + facilis ("easy"); see difficile and difficult. Equivalent to dis- +‎ facile +‎ -ty . Also analysable as difficult +‎ -y , though the adjective is historically a backformation from the noun.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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difficulty (countable and uncountable , plural difficulties )

  1. The state of being difficult, or hard to do.
    My mom is old and has a lot of difficulty (in) remembering all her grandchildren's names.
  2. An obstacle that hinders achievement of a goal.
    Synonym: trouble
    We faced a difficulty in trying to book a flight so late.
    • 1860, Photographic news for amateur photographers, volumes 3-4, page 113:
      The difficulties of photoheliography consist principally in the rapidity with which the sun's image acts upon the sensitive film.
    • 2019 June 27, Lauren Gambino, "Democratic 2020 candidates clash on healthcare, immigration and economy in first debate", in The Guardian ‎[1] :
      The two-hour debate was briefly stalled by a technical difficulty with the moderators’ microphones.
  3. (sometimes in the plural ) Physical danger from the environment, especially with risk of drowning
  4. An objection.
  5. That which cannot be easily understood or believed.
  6. An awkward situation or quarrel.

Derived terms

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Translations

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state of being difficult
obstacle

Further reading

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