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Definition of difficulty

difficulty

/ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəl.ti/
dif · fi · cul · ty
Adverb:difficultly
•
Plural:difficulties
•
Adjective:difficult
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difficulty Lexical Profile

difficulty Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

The state or quality of being hard to accomplish, deal with, or understand.

Example

"The climbers underestimated the extreme difficulty of the northern route up the mountain."

2

A specific problem, obstacle, or troublesome situation that impedes progress.

Example

"The engineering team encountered an unexpected technical difficulty during the final testing phase."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for difficulty

• Nearby Words

difficult
difficultly
difficultness
difficulty
diffident
diffuse
diffusely

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French 'difficulté', from Latin 'difficultas' ('trouble, distress, poverty'), derived from 'difficilis' ('hard, troublesome'), itself formed from 'dis-' ('not, away from') and 'facilis' ('easy to do', from 'facere', 'to make or do').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Difficulty. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/difficulty
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