Added 9 October 2026
difficulty
/ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ noun
In Latin: difficultās Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about difficulty at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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An effort that is inconvenient.
I went to a lot of trouble
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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
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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
Origin
From Middle English difficulte, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile and difficult. Equivalent to dis- + facile + -ty. Also analysable as difficult + -y, though the adjective is historically a backformation from the noun.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)