Lexic.us

Definition of Difficulty

1. Noun. An effort that is inconvenient. "Finished the test only with great difficulty"

2. Noun. 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"

3. Noun. 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"

4. Noun. The quality of being difficult. "They agreed about the difficulty of the climb"

Definition of Difficulty

1. n. The state of being difficult, or hard to do; hardness; arduousness; -- opposed to easiness or facility; as, the difficulty of a task or enterprise; a work of difficulty.

Definition of Difficulty

1. Noun. The state of being difficult, or hard to do. ¹

2. Noun. An obstacle that hinders achievement of a goal. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Difficulty

1. [n -TIES]

Medical Definition of Difficulty

1. Origin: L. Difficultas, fr. Difficilis difficult; dif- = dis- + facilis easy: cf. F. Difficulte. See Facile. 1. The state of being difficult, or hard to do; hardness; arduousness; opposed to easiness or facility; as, the difficulty of a task or enterprise; a work of difficulty. "Not being able to promote them [the interests of life] on account of the difficulty of the region." (James Byrne) 2. Something difficult; a thing hard to do or to understand; that which occasions labour or perplexity, and requires skill perseverance to overcome, solve, or achieve; a hard enterprise; an obstacle; an impediment; as, the difficulties of a science; difficulties in theology. "They lie under some difficulties by reason of the emperor's displeasure." (Addison) 3. A controversy; a falling out; a disagreement; an objection; a cavil. "Measures for terminating all local difficulties." (Bancroft) 4. Embarrassment of affairs, especially financial affairs; usually in the plural; as, to be in difficulties. "In days of difficulty and pressure." (Tennyson) Synonym: Impediment, obstacle, obstruction, embarrassment, perplexity, exigency, distress, trouble, trial, objection, cavil. See Impediment. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Difficulty

differeth differing differingly differs difficile difficileness difficilitate difficilitated difficilitates difficilitating

difficult difficult nut to crack difficulties difficultly difficultness difficulty (current term) difficulty level difficulty levels diffide diffidence

diffidences diffidencies diffidency diffident diffidently diffidentness diffine diffing diffission difflation

Literary usage of Difficulty

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Nature by Norman Lockyer (1878)
"This difficulty is not felt with refractors ; but, curious to say, in the largest refractor at present in existence (the Washington 26-inch), Prof. ..."

2. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1904)
"mended is the difficulty of obtaining high- grade material presented in an ... Inasmuch as this difficulty arises from the relative inattention to geography ..."

3. Report by Great Britain (1850)
"To train a rising society Sources of in the right way, by the early and judicious introduction of the difficulty, various aids and instruments of moral and ..."

4. Principles of Political Economy: With Some of Their Applications to Social by John Stuart Mill (1892)
"The difficulty of attainment which determines value, is not always the same kind of difficulty. It sometimes consists in an absolute limitation of the ..."

5. The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, Henry Dale, Thomas Arnold (1873)
"the ditch, though with difficulty and by a violent effort ; for ice had frozen over it, not strong enough to allow of their walking on it, but rather watery ..."

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