difficulty

difficulty
noun
ADJECTIVE
considerable, enormous, extreme, grave, great, major, real, serious, severe

We had enormous difficulty in getting hold of the right equipment.

insurmountable
increasing

questions of increasing difficulty

inherent

the difficulties inherent in treating overdose patients

potential
particular, special

English spelling presents special difficulties for foreign learners.

economic, financial
practical, technical

I think we've managed to overcome most of the practical difficulties.

behavioural/behavioral, emotional, learning

children with learning difficulties

… OF DIFFICULTY
level

The games have various levels of difficulty.

VERB + DIFFICULTY
encounter, experience, face, get into, have, run into

Among the difficulties encountered was a lack of cooperation on the part of the authorities.

Anyone experiencing difficulty with radio reception should call us on the new helpline.

Some companies are getting into difficulty.

Let me know if you have any difficulties.

I had little difficulty in persuading the others to come.

The plan has run into serious difficulties.

cause, create, make, pose, present

Will it cause any difficulties if I go early?

She is always making difficulties for herself.

increase

This increases the difficulty of the shot.

cope with, deal with, overcome, resolve, solve, surmount
avoid

how to avoid technical difficulties

be fraught with

The situation was fraught with difficulty.

illustrate
report

Please report any difficulties to the help desk.

DIFFICULTY + VERB
arise

Difficulties arise when people fail to consult their colleagues.

lie (in sth)

The difficulty lies in identifying the precise nature of the problem.

PREPOSITION
despite a/the difficulty

Despite all the difficulties, he still remains optimistic.

in difficulty

Some companies are already in difficulty.

We could see that the swimmer was in difficulties. (esp. BrE)

with difficulty, without difficulty

We crossed the border without any difficulty.

Life in the city was not without its difficulties.

difficulty in

She had difficulty in starting her car.

difficulty of

the difficulty of finding an affordable hotel

difficulty with

I'm having difficulty with the engine.


Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • difficulty — difficulty, hardship, rigor, vicissitude are synonyms only when they mean something which demands effort and endurance if it is to be overcome or one s end achieved. Difficulty, the most widely applicable of these terms, applies to any condition …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Difficulty — Dif fi*cul*ty, n.; pl. {Difficulties}. [L. difficultas, fr. difficilis difficult; dif = dis + facilis easy: cf. F. difficult[ e]. See {Facile}.] 1. The state of being difficult, or hard to do; hardness; arduousness; opposed to {easiness} or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • difficulty — [dif′i kul΄tē, dif′ikəl΄tē] n. pl. difficulties [ME & OFr difficulte < L difficultas < difficilis, difficult < dis , not + facilis, easy: see FACILE] 1. the condition or fact of being difficult 2. something that is difficult, as a hard… …   English World dictionary

  • difficulty — [n1] problem; situation requiring great effort adversity, arduousness, awkwardness, barricade, check, complication, crisis, crux, dead end, deadlock, deep water*, dilemma, distress, emergency, exigency, fix*, frustration, hardship, hazard,… …   New thesaurus

  • difficulty — late 14c., from O.Fr. difficulté, from L. difficultatem (nom. difficultas) difficulty, distress, poverty, from difficilis hard, from dis not, away from (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + facilis easy (see FACILE (Cf. facile)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • difficulty — index adversity, aggravation (annoyance), bar (obstruction), burden, complex (entanglement) …   Law dictionary

  • difficulty — ► NOUN (pl. difficulties) 1) the state or condition of being difficult. 2) a difficult or dangerous situation or circumstance. ORIGIN Latin difficultas, from facultas ability, opportunity …   English terms dictionary

  • difficulty */*/*/ — UK [ˈdɪfɪk(ə)ltɪ] / US [ˈdɪfɪkəltɪ] noun Word forms difficulty : singular difficulty plural difficulties Metaphor: A difficult idea or situation is like a knot or something that is tied up, tangled, or twisted. When you deal with it successfully …   English dictionary

  • difficulty — dif|fi|cul|ty [ dıfıkəlti ] noun *** 1. ) uncount how difficult something is: The courses vary in content and difficulty. 2. ) uncount if you have difficulty with something, you are not able to do it easily: difficulty (in) doing something: Six… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • difficulty — n. 1) to cause, create, make, present difficulties for 2) to come across, encounter, experience, face, meet, run into difficulties 3) to clear up, overcome, resolve, surmount a difficulty 4) (a) grave, great, insurmountable, serious, severe… …   Combinatory dictionary

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