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difficulty

DEFINITIONS OF: difficulty

n an effort that is inconvenient

“had difficulty walking”

“finished the test only with great difficulty”

Synonyms:: trouble

Types:: the devil
something difficult or awkward to do or deal with; tsuris
(Yiddish) aggravating trouble

Type of:: effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail
use of physical or mental energy; hard work

n the quality of being difficult

“they agreed about the difficulty of the climb”

Synonyms:: difficultness

Antonyms:: ease, easiness, simpleness, simplicity
freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort

Types:: show 14 types...; hide 14 types...; effortfulness
the quality of requiring deliberate effort; asperity, grimness, hardship, rigor, rigorousness, rigour, rigourousness, severeness, severity
something hard to endure; hardness, ruggedness
the quality of being difficult to do; formidability, toughness
impressive difficulty; burdensomeness, heaviness, onerousness, oppressiveness
unwelcome burdensome difficulty; niceness, subtlety
the quality of being difficult to detect or analyze; inconvenience, troublesomeness, worriment
a difficulty that causes anxiety; arduousness, strenuousness
extreme effortfulness; laboriousness, operoseness, toilsomeness
the quality of requiring extended effort; sternness
the quality (as of scenery) being grim and gloomy and forbidding; awkwardness, cumbersomeness, unwieldiness
trouble in carrying or managing caused by bulk or shape; flea bite
a very minor inconvenience; fly in the ointment
an inconvenience that detracts from the usefulness of something; unwieldiness
the quality of being difficult to direct or control by reason of complexity

Type of:: quality
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone

n a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result

“serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent”

Types:: show 21 types...; hide 21 types...; problem, trouble
a source of difficulty; facer
(a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced; killer
a difficulty that is hard to deal with; kink
a difficulty or flaw in a plan or operation; pisser
a very disagreeable difficulty; booby trap, pitfall
an unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty; snorter
something outstandingly difficult; balk, baulk, check, deterrent, handicap, hinderance, hindrance, impediment
something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress; wrinkle
a minor difficulty; pressure point
where problems or difficulties are likely to occur; can of worms
a source of unpredictable trouble and complexity; deep water
serious trouble; growing pains
problems that arise in enlarging an enterprise (especially in the early stages); hydra
trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality; matter
a problem; albatross, millstone
(figurative) something that hinders or handicaps; bind
something that hinders as if with bonds; diriment impediment
(canon law) an impediment that invalidates a marriage (such as the existence of a prior marriage); drag
something that slows or delays progress; obstacle, obstruction
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; straitjacket
anything immaterial that severely hinders or confines

Type of:: cognitive factor
something immaterial (as a circumstance or influence) that contributes to producing a result

n a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome

“grappling with financial difficulties”

Examples:: Great Depression
the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s

Types:: show 36 types...; hide 36 types...; bitch
an unpleasant difficulty; plight, predicament, quandary
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one; rattrap
a difficult entangling situation; pinch
a painful or straitened circumstance; fix, hole, jam, kettle of fish, mess, muddle, pickle
informal terms for a difficult situation; hard time, rough sledding
a difficulty that can be overcome with effort; strain, stress
difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; mire
a difficulty or embarrassment that is hard to extricate yourself from; job, problem
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved; situation
a complex or critical or unusual difficulty; urinary hesitancy
difficulty in beginning the flow of urine; associated with prostate enlargement in men and with narrowing of the urethral opening in women; may be caused by emotional stress in either men or women; wall
a difficult or awkward situation; care
a cause for feeling concern; conflict of interest
a situation in which a public official's decisions are influenced by the official's personal interests; crisis
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty; crunch
a critical situation that arises because of a shortage (as a shortage of time or money or resources); hornet's nest, hornets' nest
a highly contentious or hazardous situation; hot potato
a difficult situation; how-d'ye-do, how-do-you-do
an awkward situation; embroilment, imbroglio
an intricate and confusing interpersonal or political situation; Mexican standoff
a situation in which no one can emerge as a clear winner; incubus, nightmare
a situation resembling a terrifying dream; no-win situation
a situation in which a favorable outcome is impossible; you are bound to lose whatever you do; pass, strait, straits
a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs; purgatory
a temporary condition of torment or suffering; swamp
a situation fraught with difficulties and imponderables; ticking bomb, time bomb
a problematic situation that will eventually become dangerous if not addressed; tinderbox
a dangerous state of affairs; a situation that is a potential source of violence; urgency
an urgent situation calling for prompt action; dead end, deadlock, impasse, stalemate, standstill
a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; box, corner
a predicament from which a skillful or graceful escape is impossible; hot water
a dangerous or distressing predicament; dog's breakfast, dog's dinner
a poor job; a mess; race problem
a social and political problem caused by conflict between races occupying the same or adjacent regions; balance-of-payments problem
an economic problem caused by payments for imports being greater than receipts for exports; quicksand
a treacherous situation that tends to entrap and destroy

Type of:: condition, status
a state at a particular time

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