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
Special Education: Most Vulnerable Students Affected Special education represents the most severe shortage area, with 98% of school districts reporting difficulty filling these positions.
—
Scott White, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
The industry had used buyouts and layoffs to shrink staff sizes during the pandemic and faced difficulties in refilling positions when demand picked up.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 7 Mar. 2025
Republicans have been and still are going through a good bit of difficulty in becoming the party of both the rich and the working class.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
What's better, most of the best drip coffee machines on this list have a lower difficulty rating than your toaster oven.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Scott White, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
The industry had used buyouts and layoffs to shrink staff sizes during the pandemic and faced difficulties in refilling positions when demand picked up.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 7 Mar. 2025
Republicans have been and still are going through a good bit of difficulty in becoming the party of both the rich and the working class.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
What's better, most of the best drip coffee machines on this list have a lower difficulty rating than your toaster oven.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 7 Mar. 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 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
difficulty
noun
dif·fi·cul·ty
ˈdif-ə-(ˌ)kəl-tē
plural difficulties
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share