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Difficulty

//ˈdɪfɪkəlti// noun

Definitions

Noun

1
The state of being difficult, or hard to do. countable, uncountable
"My mom is old and has a lot of difficulty (in) remembering all her grandchildren's names."
2
an effort that is inconvenient wordnet
3
An obstacle that hinders achievement of a goal. countable, uncountable
"We faced a difficulty in trying to book a flight so late."
4
the quality of being almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring a great effort to achieve a positive result wordnet
5
Physical danger from the environment, especially with risk of drowning countable, in-plural, sometimes, uncountable
"2012 August 2, "Children rescued after getting into difficulties in Donegal" BBC Online"

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6
An objection. countable, uncountable
7
That which cannot be easily understood or believed. countable, uncountable
8
An awkward situation or quarrel. countable, uncountable

Etymology

From Middle English difficulte, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile and difficult. Equivalent to dis- + facile + -ty. Also analysable as difficult + -y, though the adjective is historically a backformation from the noun.

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