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difficulty
/ˈdɪfɪkəlti/
state of being hard to do or understand
The difficulty of the exam surprised many students.
The fact that the exam was hard shocked many students.
neutral
the state or quality of being hard to do, deal with, or understand
She faced many difficulties in her new job.
She encountered many hardships in her new job.
The difficulty of the task made him reconsider.
The fact that the task was hard made him think twice.
Used for both physical and abstract challenges; often followed by 'in' (difficulty in + gerund) or 'of' (difficulty of + noun/gerund).
neutral
a particular instance or cause of trouble or hardship
Financial difficulties led to the closure of the business.
Money problems caused the business to close.
Commonly used in plural form to describe ongoing problems.
Collocations
difficulty inproblems when trying to do somethingwith difficultyin a way that is hard or takes great effortfinancial difficultiesproblems related to money or debt
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Prepositions with 'difficulty'
Use 'in' for general challenges (difficulty in learning) and 'of' for specific tasks (difficulty of the test). Avoid 'with' in formal contexts (e.g., 'difficulty with' is informal).
Gold Rule
Countable vs. Uncountable
'Difficulty' is uncountable when referring to the general concept (e.g., 'The difficulty of the task was underestimated'). Use the plural 'difficulties' for specific instances (e.g., 'She faced many difficulties in her career').
Word Origin
Middle English from Old French 'difficulté', from Latin 'difficultas', from 'difficilis' (difficult), from 'dis-' (apart) + 'facilis' (easy).
Usage Notes
Avoid confusion with 'difficult' (adjective) or 'difficultly' (adverb, rare). 'Difficulty' is uncountable when referring to the general concept; countable when referring to specific instances.
Word Breakdown
diffic-
from Latin 'difficilis' (hard to do)
root-ulty
suffix forming abstract nouns (e.g., difficulty, cruelty)
suffixEnglish Dictionary