Definition of DIFFICULTY
DIFFICULTY Noun
Difficulty is a noun that refers to the state or condition of being hard to do, understand, or deal with. It encompasses challenges, obstacles, or complexities encountered in various situations.
Challenges or Obstacles: Difficulty signifies challenges or obstacles that make tasks or situations harder to handle. For example, “The difficulty of the exam was evident in the students’ reactions.” This usage reflects the presence of factors that complicate or hinder progress.
Complexity and Hardship: Difficulty can denote the level of complexity or hardship involved in a task or situation. For instance, “The difficulty of the repair was due to the intricate design of the machinery.” This highlights how complexity contributes to the overall challenge.
Personal Struggles: Difficulty often refers to personal struggles or efforts required to overcome challenges. For example, “She faced many difficulties while trying to balance work and study.” This usage emphasizes the personal aspect of dealing with obstacles and hardships.
Academic and Professional Contexts: In academic or professional settings, difficulty can refer to the level of challenge associated with tasks, projects, or concepts. For instance, “The difficulty of the project required additional resources and expertise.” This highlights how the complexity of work can impact planning and execution.
Emotional and Psychological Impact: Difficulty can also encompass the emotional or psychological impact of facing challenges. For example, “The difficulty of coping with loss can affect one’s mental health.” This usage reflects how encountering obstacles can influence emotional well-being.
Contextual Variations: Difficulty may vary depending on context, including cultural, situational, or individual factors. For instance, “The difficulty of understanding certain cultural norms can vary between different societies.” This highlights how challenges are perceived and addressed differently in various contexts.
Contrast with Ease: Difficulty is often contrasted with ease, emphasizing the difference between challenging and straightforward situations. For example, “The difficulty of the problem stood in stark contrast to its apparent simplicity.” This reflects how the level of difficulty compares with the ease of understanding or solving a problem.
Measurement of Difficulty: Difficulty can be measured or assessed in various ways, such as through difficulty ratings or evaluations. For instance, “The difficulty level of the test was rated as high by the educational board.” This usage shows how challenges are quantified and assessed.
Conclusion: In conclusion, difficulty is a noun that denotes the state of being hard to do, understand, or manage, encompassing challenges, obstacles, and complexities. Understanding difficulty helps in recognizing its impact across personal, academic, professional, and emotional contexts, as well as its measurement and variation in different situations.
Examples of DIFFICULTY in a sentence
- The exam posed a significant difficulty for the students.
- She faced many difficulties during the project.
- The difficulty of the task increased with each step.
- Understanding the concept presented a considerable difficulty.
- The team encountered a difficulty with the new software.
- The difficulty of the climb was underestimated.
- He struggled with the difficulty of balancing work and study.
- The difficulty in communication arose from language barriers.
Origin of DIFFICULTY
Difficulty traces its origins to the Latin word difficultas, meaning “hardship” or “difficulty,” derived from difficilis (difficult), which combines dis- (a prefix meaning “not”) and facilis (easy). The term evolved through Old French and Middle English to describe a state of being hard to achieve or deal with.
- Latin: Difficultas (difficulty, hardship), from difficilis (difficult), from dis- (not) + facilis (easy).
- Latin: Difficilis referred to something that is not easy, combining dis- with facilis (easy).
- Old French: The term evolved to difficulté (difficulty), reflecting the Latin meaning of hardship or challenge.
- Middle English: Difficulty emerged to denote the state of being hard to accomplish or understand.
In contemporary English, difficulty refers to a situation or condition that presents a challenge or obstacle, making it hard to achieve or resolve. It describes the level of effort required to overcome a problem or perform a task. The term has retained its core meaning from Latin, focusing on the concept of challenges and obstacles that impede ease or progress.
Synonyms
- Challenge
- Hardship
- Complication
- Struggle
- Obstacle
- Issue
- Trouble
- Problem
Antonyms
- Ease
- Simplicity
- Facilitation
- Comfort
- Solution
- Straightforwardness
- Helpfulness
- Clarity
Related
- Complexity
- Barrier
- Adversity
- Hurdle
- Complication
- Toughness
- Strain
- Effort
🌐 🇬🇧 DIFFICULTY in other languages
Spanish 🇪🇸 | Dificultad |
French 🇫🇷 | Difficulté |
German 🇩🇪 | Schwierigkeit |
Chinese (simpl) 🇨🇳 | 困难 |
Chinese (trad) 🇨🇳 | 困難 |
Italian 🇮🇹 | Difficoltà |
Portuguese 🇵🇹 | Dificuldade |
Dutch 🇳🇱 | Moeilijkheid |
Swedish 🇸🇪 | Svårighet |
Norwegian 🇳🇴 | Vanskelighet |
Finnish 🇫🇮 | Vaikeus |
Romanian 🇷🇴 | Dificultate |
Polish 🇵🇱 | Trudność |
Hungarian 🇭🇺 | Nehézség |
Czech 🇨🇿 | Obtížnost |
Bulgarian 🇧🇬 | Трудност |
Ukrainian 🇺🇦 | Складність |
Russian 🇷🇺 | Сложность |
Turkish 🇹🇷 | Zorluk |
Azerbaijani 🇦🇿 | Çətinlik |
Armenian 🇦🇲 | Դժվարություն |
Arabic 🇸🇦 | صعوبة |
Hebrew 🇮🇱 | קוֹשִׁי |
Urdu 🇵🇰 | مشکل |
Farsi/Persian 🇮🇷 | دشواری |
Hindi 🇮🇳 | कठिनाई |
Bengaleli/se 🇧🇩 | অসুবিধা |
Marathi 🇮🇳 | अडचण |
Telugu 🇮🇳 | కష్టం |
Tamil 🇮🇳 | சிரமம் |
Gujarati 🇮🇳 | મુશ્કેલી |
Kannada 🇮🇳 | ಕಷ್ಟ |
Odia (Orya) 🇮🇳 | ଅସୁବିଧା |
Malayalam 🇮🇳 | ബുദ്ധിമുട്ട് |
Punjabi 🇮🇳 | ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ |
Sinhala/ese 🇱🇰 | දුෂ්කරතාව |
Nepali 🇳🇵 | कठिनाई |
Burmese 🇲🇲 | အခက်အခဲ |
Thai 🇹🇭 | ความยากลำบาก |
Vietnamese 🇻🇳 | Khó khăn |
Malay 🇲🇾 | Kesukaran |
Indonesian 🇮🇩 | Kesulitan |
Tagalog 🇵🇭 | Kahirapan |
Japanese 🇯🇵 | 困難 |
Korean 🇰🇷 | 어려움 |
Oromo 🇪🇹 | Rakkoo |
Somali 🇸🇴 | Dhib |
Amharic 🇪🇹 | አስቸጋሪ |
Swahili 🇹🇿 | Ugumu |
Yoruba 🇳🇬 | Iṣoro |
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