difficulty

difficulty: dif|fi|cul|ty [ `dıfıkəlti ] noun ***

1. ) uncount how difficult something is:

The courses vary in content and difficulty.

2. ) uncount if you have difficulty with something, you are not able to do it easily:

difficulty (in) doing something: Six months after the accident, he still has difficulty walking.

difficulty with: She's having difficulty with her schoolwork this year.

do something with/without difficulty: Seb was speaking with great difficulty.

great/considerable difficulty: We had considerable difficulty finding anywhere to park.

─ opposite EASE

3. ) count a problem:

learning/reading/breathing difficulties

difficulty with/in: If you experience difficulties in completing the form, ask for help.

have/experience/encounter difficulties: students who encounter financial difficulties

cause/give rise to/lead to a difficulty: Implementing the policy caused difficulties within the company.

the difficulty is: The real difficulty is that no one in the group has a car.

a difficulty arises: New difficulties arose from this arrangement.

4. ) uncount or plural a bad situation with a lot of problems:

in difficulty: The loss puts our company in financial difficulty.

get/run into difficulty: The climbers got into difficulties when there was a sudden storm.

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Synonyms:

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difficulty — difficulty, hardship, rigor, vicissitude are synonyms only when they mean something which demands effort and endurance if it is to be overcome or one s end achieved. Difficulty, the most widely applicable of these terms, applies to any condition … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Difficulty — Dif fi*cul*ty, n.; pl. {Difficulties}. [L. difficultas, fr. difficilis difficult; dif = dis + facilis easy: cf. F. difficult[ e]. See {Facile}.] 1. The state of being difficult, or hard to do; hardness; arduousness; opposed to {easiness} or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
difficulty — [dif′i kul΄tē, dif′ikəl΄tē] n. pl. difficulties [ME & OFr difficulte < L difficultas < difficilis, difficult < dis , not + facilis, easy: see FACILE] 1. the condition or fact of being difficult 2. something that is difficult, as a hard… … English World dictionary
difficulty — [n1] problem; situation requiring great effort adversity, arduousness, awkwardness, barricade, check, complication, crisis, crux, dead end, deadlock, deep water*, dilemma, distress, emergency, exigency, fix*, frustration, hardship, hazard,… … New thesaurus
difficulty — late 14c., from O.Fr. difficulté, from L. difficultatem (nom. difficultas) difficulty, distress, poverty, from difficilis hard, from dis not, away from (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + facilis easy (see FACILE (Cf. facile)) … Etymology dictionary
difficulty — index adversity, aggravation (annoyance), bar (obstruction), burden, complex (entanglement) … Law dictionary
difficulty — ► NOUN (pl. difficulties) 1) the state or condition of being difficult. 2) a difficult or dangerous situation or circumstance. ORIGIN Latin difficultas, from facultas ability, opportunity … English terms dictionary
difficulty — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ considerable, enormous, extreme, grave, great, major, real, serious, severe ▪ We had enormous difficulty … Collocations dictionary
difficulty */*/*/ — UK [ˈdɪfɪk(ə)ltɪ] / US [ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ] noun Word forms difficulty : singular difficulty plural difficulties Metaphor: A difficult idea or situation is like a knot or something that is tied up, tangled, or twisted. When you deal with it successfully … English dictionary
difficulty — n. 1) to cause, create, make, present difficulties for 2) to come across, encounter, experience, face, meet, run into difficulties 3) to clear up, overcome, resolve, surmount a difficulty 4) (a) grave, great, insurmountable, serious, severe… … Combinatory dictionary

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difficulty

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