n., pl. -ties.

1. The condition or quality of being difficult: the difficulty of a task.
2. Something not easily done, accomplished, comprehended, or solved.
3. A troublesome or embarrassing state of affairs, especially of financial affairs. Often used in the plural.
4. A laborious effort; a struggle; trouble: had difficulty walking; completed the test with difficulty.
5. A disagreement or dispute.
6. Reluctance or an objection; unwillingness.

[Middle English difficulte, from Old French dificulte, from Latin difficultās, from difficilis, difficult : dis-, dis- + facilis, easy.]

SYNONYMS  difficulty, hardship, rigor, vicissitude. These nouns denote something that requires great effort to overcome: grappling with financial difficulties; a life of hardship; undergoing the rigors of prison; withstood the vicissitudes of an army career.

noun

1. Something that obstructs progress and requires great effort to overcome: asperity, hardship, rigor, vicissitude (often used in plural). Idioms: ahardtoughnut to crack, ahardtoughrow to hoe, heavy sledding. See easy/hard.
2. A difficult, often embarrassing situation or condition: box¹, corner, deep water, dilemma, Dutch, fix, hole, hot spot, hot water, jam, plight¹, predicament, quagmire, scrape, soup, trouble. Informal bind, pickle, spot. See easy/hard.
3. A state of disagreement and disharmony: clash, conflict, confrontation, contention, difference, disaccord, discord, discordance, dissension, dissent, dissentience, dissidence, dissonance, faction, friction, inharmony, schism, strife, variance, war, warfare. See conflict/cooperation.
4. A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed: altercation, argument, bicker, clash, contention, controversy, debate, disagreement, dispute, fight, polemic, quarrel, run-in, spat, squabble, tiff, word (used in plural), wrangle. Informal hassle, rhubarb, tangle. See conflict/cooperation.

n

Definition: argument
Antonyms: accommodation, agreement, harmony, peace

n

Definition: mental burden
Antonyms: calmness, contentment, peace, pleasure, satisfaction

n

Definition: problem; hardness in effort required
Antonyms: calm, ease, felicity, peace, tranquility

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The state or quality of being not easy to perform. In some models of movement-behaviour, difficulty depends on both the distance a limb has to move and the narrowness of the target. As the movement becomes more difficult, the time to complete the movement accurately increases (see Pitt's law).

IN BRIEF: n. - An effort that is inconvenient; A factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. — Albert Einstein 

Quotes:

"It is a good rule to face difficulties at the time they arise and not allow them to increase unacknowledged." - Edward W. Ziegler

"Bumps are the things we climb on." - Warren Wiersbe

"When you are down and out something always turns up -- and it is usually the noses of your friends." - Orson Welles

"What is difficulty? Only a word indicating the degree of effort required to accomplish something! A mere notice of the necessity for exertion; a scarecrow to children and fools and a stimulus to real men." - Samuel Warren

"Triumphs without difficulties are empty. Indeed; it is difficulties that make the triumph. It is no feat to travel the smooth road." - Source Unknown

"If things are natural, they're easy. If they're unnatural they're difficult. I have never met a man who found it difficult to marry, but I have never found a man who found it easy to divorce either." - Source Unknown

See more famous quotes about Difficulties

Common misspelling(s) of difficulty

• dificulty

Dansk (Danish)
n. - vanskelighed, problem, nød

idioms:

• in difficulty    i nød

Nederlands (Dutch)
probleem, moeilijkheid, problemen

Français (French)
n. - difficulté, tracas, obstacle, ennuis, problèmes

idioms:

• get into difficulties    se trouver en difficulté
• in difficulties    (avoir) des ennuis, (être) dans l'embarras
• with difficulty    avec difficulté/avec peine

Deutsch (German)
n. - Problem, Schwierigkeit

idioms:

• get into difficulties    in Schwierigkeiten geraten
• in difficulties    in Schwierigkeiten sein
• with difficulty    mit Schwierigkeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δυσκολία, δυσχέρεια

idioms:

• in difficulty    σε δύσκολη θέση

Italiano (Italian)
difficoltà

idioms:

• in difficulty    in difficoltà

Português (Portuguese)
n. - dificuldade (f)

idioms:

• in difficulty    em dificuldades (financeiras)

Русский (Russian)
сложность

idioms:

• in difficulty    в сложном (финансовом) положении

Español (Spanish)
n. - dificultad, problema, apuro, aprieto, lucha, disputa, desgano, objeción

idioms:

• get into difficulties    meterse en problemas
• in difficulties    en problemas
• with difficulty    con dificultad

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - svårighet

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
困难, 难点

idioms:

• in difficulty    处于困境

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 困難, 難點

idioms:

• in difficulty    處於困境

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 난해, 경제적 곤란, 불만

idioms:

• in difficulty    어려워하는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 困難, 難事, 窮境, 不本意, 苦情, 異議, 不和

idioms:

• in difficulty    困難な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) صعوبه, عائق, شئ يصعب عمله أو فهمه أو التعامل معه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קושי‬

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