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单词 difficulty
释义

difficulty

noun

dif·​fi·​cul·​ty ˈdi-fi-(ˌ)kəl-tē How to pronounce difficulty (audio)
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

Synonyms

  • adversity
  • asperity
  • hardness
  • hardship
  • rigor
See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 Oates’ biggest difficulty was seeing over and around an offensive line featuring 6-6 tackle Jon Mould and Matthew DeFeo and David Standring (both 6-3). Mike Mcmahon, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Senior amateurs can enjoy this course that features few forced carries to the greens, but also provides plenty of scoring difficulty for PGA Tour pros as the site of the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s Monday qualifying tournament. Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2022 The moves below are designed to safely increase in difficulty. Esther Smith, Outside Online, 9 Sep. 2022 When speaking, Fetterman has shown difficulty articulating his thoughts or maintaining long sentences. Fox News, 9 Sep. 2022 The difficulty is trying to ascertain whether runners are held out of certain races because of injury or because of training and/or rest. Joe Magill, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2022 Shabir attributed this difficulty to a confluence of factors, but one of the biggest was the cultural assumption that video games are a male pastime with content aimed at a masculine audience. Jonathan Lee, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2022 Exposure to or digestion of petroleum can cause pain or burning, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, headaches, lightheadedness, blisters and more. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 Symptoms include extreme fatigue that interferes with daily life; fever; difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; chest pain; trouble sleeping; dizziness; diarrhea; changes in menstrual cycles, and more. Fortune, 10 Aug. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English difficulte, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French difficulté, borrowed from Latin difficultāt-, difficultās, from difficilis "hard to do, troublesome, intractable" (from dif-, probably assimilated form of dis- dis- + facilis "easy, accommodating") + -tāt-, -tās -ty — more at facile

Note: Latin difficultās presumably goes back to *dis-fakli-tāts and follows the same path as the base word, from *faklitāts to attested facultās (see faculty), with regular vowel weakening in a non-initial syllable. The word difficilis is derivationally peculiar, as the prefix dis- is regularly applied only to verbs and is not primarily privative—the expected negative counterpart to facilis should have been *infacilis. It has been hypothesized that dis- in this case is a permutation of *dus-, corresponding to Greek dys- "bad, ill" (see dys-; *dus- is otherwise unattested in Latin), or that difficilis is modeled on dissimilis "unlike" (see dissimilar; the adjective similis "like" takes a range of ordinarily verbal prefixes, perhaps following Greek equivalents). Neither solution is entirely satisfactory.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

difficulty

noun

dif·​fi·​cul·​ty ˈdi-fi-ˌkəl-tē How to pronounce difficulty (audio)
plural difficulties
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.

difficulty

noun

1
as in hardship
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal the many difficulties that he encountered on the road from poor orphan to head of a major corporation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
  • hardship
  • obstacle
  • hurdle
  • hardness
  • adversity
  • rigor
  • discomfort
  • inconvenience
  • trial
  • asperity
  • misfortune
  • impediment
  • nuisance
  • hindrance
  • interference
  • obstruction
  • embarrassment
  • tribulation
  • handicap
  • tragedy
  • mishap
  • encumbrance
  • affliction
  • inhibition
  • hitch
  • let
  • stop
  • deterrent
  • rub
  • snag
  • clog
  • knock
  • chain
  • hump
  • crimp
  • catch
  • trammel
  • block
  • shackle
  • pons asinorum
  • fetter
  • check
  • bar
  • manacle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • advantage
  • opportunity
  • break
2
as in complexity
something that makes a situation more complicated or difficult there was a minor difficulty when we realized that the store had already closed

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • complexity
  • complication
  • headache
  • intricacy
  • convolution
  • trouble
  • complicacy
  • matter
  • annoyance
  • ramification
  • side effect
  • subtlety
  • inconvenience
  • fly in the ointment
  • aftereffect
  • technicality
  • bitch
  • side reaction
  • bother
3
as in objection
a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent the only difficulty I have with the dress is its color—does it come in anything besides purple?

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • objection
  • exception
  • challenge
  • complaint
  • question
  • criticism
  • protest
  • fuss
  • demur
  • doubt
  • suspicion
  • remonstrance
  • stink
  • demurral
  • qualm
  • demurrer
  • expostulation
  • uncertainty
  • misunderstanding
  • dispute
  • compunction
  • reluctance
  • skepticism
  • dissent
  • scruple
  • misgiving
  • quibble
  • unease
  • censure
  • distrust
  • mistrust
  • kick
  • quarrel
  • cavil
  • disobedience
  • uneasiness
  • static
  • squabble
  • unwillingness
  • debate
  • conflict
  • argument
  • indetermination
  • incertitude
  • hassle
  • rebellion
  • niggle
  • misdoubt
  • mistrustfulness
  • reservation
  • dubitation
  • distrustfulness
  • dubiety
  • defiance
  • qualmishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • willingness
  • approval
  • acceptance
  • sanction
  • compliance
  • agreement
  • acquiescence
  • obedience
  • assent
See More
4
as in controversy
variance of opinion on a matter the theologian's ongoing difficulties with the Vatican

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • controversy
  • dispute
  • disputation
  • debate
  • disagreement
  • difference
  • nonconcurrence
  • dissension
  • dissention
  • contestation
  • dissensus
  • firestorm
  • struggle
  • conflict
  • contention
  • dissonance
  • confliction
  • discord
  • clash
  • collision
  • argument
  • misunderstanding
  • strife
  • quarrel
  • disaccord
  • fight
  • combat
  • divarication
  • apartness
  • altercation
  • division
  • kickup
  • bicker
  • falling-out
  • set-to

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • agreement
  • compliance
  • consensus
  • harmony
  • acceptance
  • unanimity
  • accord
  • peace
  • concord
See More
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更新时间:2024/12/23 23:21:36