difficulty
noun
dif·fi·cul·ty
ˈdi-fi-(ˌ)kəl-tē 
plural difficulties
1
: the quality or state of being hard to do, deal with, or understand : the quality or state of being difficult
underestimated the difficulty of the task
has difficulty reading
climbs stairs with difficulty
2
: controversy, disagreement
unable to resolve their difficulties
3
: objection
made no difficulty in granting the request
4
: something difficult : impediment
encountering difficulties along the way
5
: embarrassment, trouble
—usually used in plural
financial difficulties
Examples of difficulty in a Sentence
She underestimated the difficulty of saving so much money.
the many difficulties that he encountered on the road from poor orphan to head of a major corporation
Recent Examples on the Web
In March, three high-profile women streamers were stalked while streaming at the Santa Monica Pier, igniting a conversation about the dangers and difficulties of being so visible in a world increasingly dominated by misogyny.
—
Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Mixed Performance Metrics: While PepsiCo has seen modest revenue growth (averaging 5% over the past three years) and retains a moderate operating margin of 14%, the latest quarterly outcomes underscore the difficulties of reconciling volume reductions with pricing power in the current landscape.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The community provides crucial support to parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media, from facing near-fatal harm, managing ongoing mental health difficulties, or experiencing the tragic loss of a child.
—Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Coming off of the period-pristine high-wire act that was the Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino was looking forward to a lower degree of difficulty with the contemporary-era Étoile, her new eight-episode Amazon ballet dramedy dropping Thursday.
—Michael Ausiello, TVLine, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
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Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Mixed Performance Metrics: While PepsiCo has seen modest revenue growth (averaging 5% over the past three years) and retains a moderate operating margin of 14%, the latest quarterly outcomes underscore the difficulties of reconciling volume reductions with pricing power in the current landscape.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The community provides crucial support to parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media, from facing near-fatal harm, managing ongoing mental health difficulties, or experiencing the tragic loss of a child.
—Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Coming off of the period-pristine high-wire act that was the Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino was looking forward to a lower degree of difficulty with the contemporary-era Étoile, her new eight-episode Amazon ballet dramedy dropping Thursday.
—Michael Ausiello, TVLine, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
Cite this Entry
“Difficulty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/difficulty. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
difficulty
noun
dif·fi·cul·ty
ˈdif-ə-(ˌ)kəl-tē
plural difficulties
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