difficulty

dif·fi·cul·ty  (df-klt, -kl-)

n. pl. dif·fi·cul·ties

1. The condition or quality of being difficult: the difficulty of a task.

2. Something not easily done, accomplished, comprehended, or solved.

3. A troublesome or embarrassing state of affairs, especially of financial affairs. Often used in the plural.

4. A laborious effort; a struggle; trouble: had difficulty walking; completed the test with difficulty.

5. A disagreement or dispute.

6. Reluctance or an objection; unwillingness.

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[Middle English difficulte, from Old French dificulte, from Latin difficults, from difficilis, difficult : dis-, dis- + facilis, easy; see dh- in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: difficulty, hardship, rigor, vicissitude
These nouns denote something that requires great effort to overcome: grappling with financial difficulties; a life of hardship; undergoing the rigors of prison; withstood the vicissitudes of an army career.

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difficulty

Noun

pl -ties

1. the state or quality of being difficult

2. a task or problem that is hard to deal with

3. a troublesome or embarrassing situation: in financial difficulties

4. an objection or obstacle: you're just making difficulties

5. lack of ease; awkwardness: he could run only with difficulty [Latin difficultas]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	difficulty - an effort that is inconvenient; "I went to a lot of trouble"; "he won without any trouble"; "had difficulty walking"; "finished the test only with great difficulty" trouble elbow grease, exertion, effort, travail, sweat - use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion" the devil - something difficult or awkward to do or deal with; "it will be the devil to solve" tsuris - (Yiddish) aggravating trouble; "the frustrating tsuris he subjected himself to"
	2.	difficulty - 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" cognitive factor - something immaterial (as a circumstance or influence) that contributes to producing a result trouble, problem - a source of difficulty; "one trouble after another delayed the job"; "what's the problem?" facer - (a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced killer - a difficulty that is hard to deal with; "that exam was a real killer" kink - a difficulty or flaw in a plan or operation; "there are still a few kinks to iron out" pisser - a very disagreeable difficulty pitfall, booby trap - an unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty snorter - something outstandingly difficult; "the problem was a real snorter" deterrent, hinderance, hindrance, impediment, balk, baulk, handicap, check - something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress wrinkle - a minor difficulty; "they finally have the wrinkles pretty well ironed out"
	3.	difficulty - 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" condition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations" bitch - an unpleasant difficulty; "this problem is a real bitch" plight, predicament, quandary - a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one; "finds himself in a most awkward predicament"; "the woeful plight of homeless people" rattrap - a difficult entangling situation pinch - a painful or straitened circumstance; "the pinch of the recession" kettle of fish, fix, jam, mess, muddle, pickle, hole - informal terms for a difficult situation; "he got into a terrible fix"; "he made a muddle of his marriage" hard time, rough sledding - a difficulty that can be overcome with effort; "we had a hard time getting here"; "analysts predicted rough sledding for handset makers" strain, stress - difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson mire - a difficulty or embarrassment that is hard to extricate yourself from; "the country is still trying to climb out of the mire left by its previous president"; "caught in the mire of poverty" problem, job - a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved; "she and her husband are having problems"; "it is always a job to contact him"; "urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog" situation - a complex or critical or unusual difficulty; "the dangerous situation developed suddenly"; "that's quite a situation"; "no human situation is simple" 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; "his back was to the wall"; "competition was pushing them to the wall"
	4.	difficulty - the quality of being difficult; "they agreed about the difficulty of the climb" difficultness effortfulness - the quality of requiring deliberate effort asperity, rigor, rigorousness, rigourousness, severeness, severity, rigour, grimness, hardship - something hard to endure; "the asperity of northern winters" ruggedness, hardness - the quality of being difficult to do; "he assigned a series of problems of increasing hardness"; "the ruggedness of his exams caused half the class to fail" formidability, toughness - impressive difficulty burdensomeness, onerousness, oppressiveness, heaviness - unwelcome burdensome difficulty subtlety, niceness - the quality of being difficult to detect or analyze; "you had to admire the subtlety of the distinctions he drew" troublesomeness, worriment, inconvenience - a difficulty that causes anxiety quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare ease, easiness, simpleness, simplicity - freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort; "he rose through the ranks with apparent ease"; "they put it into containers for ease of transportation"; "the very easiness of the deed held her back"

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difficulty

noun 1. problem, trouble, obstacle, hurdle, dilemma, hazard, complication, hassle (informal) snag, uphill S. African predicament, pitfall, stumbling block, impediment, hindrance, tribulation, quandary, can of worms (informal) point at issue, disputed point

noun 2. hardship, labour, pain, strain, awkwardness, painfulness, strenuousness, arduousness, laboriousness

Translations

difficulty [ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ] n → dificultad f;

to have difficulties with (police, landlord etc) → tener problemas con;

to be in difficulty → estar en apuros

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difficulty [ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ] difficult n → difficulté f;

to have difficulties with → avoir des ennuis or problèmes avec;

to be in difficulty → avoir des difficultés, avoir des problèmes

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difficulty [ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ] difficult n → Schwierigkeit f;

to be in/get into difficulties difficult → in Schwierigkeiten sein/geraten

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difficulty [ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ] n → difficoltà f inv;

to have difficulties with [+ police, landlord etc] → avere noie con;

to be in difficulty → essere or trovarsi in difficoltà