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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.