First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
difficulty
noun dif·fi·cul·ty \-(ˌ)kəl-tē\
: the quality of something that makes it hard to do : the difficult nature of something
: something that is not easy to do or to deal with : a difficult situation
: a disagreement in opinion
plural dif·fi·cul·ties
Full Definition of DIFFICULTY
1
: the quality or state of being difficult
2
3
4
: something difficult : impediment
5
: embarrassment, trouble —usually used in plural
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Origin of DIFFICULTY
Middle English difficulte, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficilis not easy, from dis- + facilis easy — more at facile
DIFFICULTIES Defined for Kids
difficulty
noun dif·fi·cul·ty \ˈdi-fi-ˌkəl-tē\
plural dif·fi·cul·ties
Definition of DIFFICULTY for Kids
1
: the state of being hard to do <the difficulty of a task>
2
: great effort <He solved the puzzle with difficulty.>
3
: something that makes something hard to do : obstacle <She overcame great difficulties to achieve success.>
4
: a troublesome situation <She saw a way out of the difficulty.>
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