1
as in hardship
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal
the many difficulties that he encountered on the road from poor orphan to head of a major corporation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complexity
something that makes a situation more complicated or difficult
there was a minor difficulty when we realized that the store had already closed
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in objection
a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent
the only difficulty I have with the dress is its color—does it come in anything besides purple?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in controversy
variance of opinion on a matter
the theologian's ongoing difficulties with the Vatican
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of difficulty
Fun mini-games, tons of content and a Challenge Mode that upgrades the difficulty for a second run through the story mean this is massive value for the money, especially at 57% off.
—
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 May 2025
Greif: Indiana is on the verge of the NBA Finals by taking the path of most resistance, given the ridiculously high degree of difficulty of victories against Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 May 2025
Certain fish that are caught are worth more points based on difficulty of catching them and other criteria.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Flip invented the Wheezer Scale for gauging the difficulty of hiking up hills.
—Flip Putthoff, Arkansas Online, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 May 2025
Greif: Indiana is on the verge of the NBA Finals by taking the path of most resistance, given the ridiculously high degree of difficulty of victories against Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 May 2025
Certain fish that are caught are worth more points based on difficulty of catching them and other criteria.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Flip invented the Wheezer Scale for gauging the difficulty of hiking up hills.
—Flip Putthoff, Arkansas Online, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficulty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficulty
Noun
-
The Tower is not always an omen of hardship and struggle.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 June 2025
-
Vidal Banuelos said the restaurant never recovered from the financial hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
The sheer complexity of a deal, which will take years to complete and require multiagency input, forced Trump’s first treasury secretary to shelve their sale, and experts believe the same hurdles pose significant challenges this time around, too.—
Haisten Willis,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2025
-
The way the news of the new pope’s heritage was made public speaks to the complexity of discussions of race in the U.S., especially in this era.—
Rebecca R. Bibbs,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
And an attorney representing local developers cited the law in objection to the county’s move to prevent thousands of new homes from being built beyond the county’s development boundary.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
-
The defense objected to the response, and the judge sustained the objection, meaning the jury cannot consider his response as evidence.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
However, California is far from the only state that saw its girls' track and field championships overshadowed by trans athlete controversy.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2025
-
Salgado’s pictures were also freighted with their fair share of controversy.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
31 May 2025
Noun
-
The new strategy would continue the current vaccine approval process for people ages 65 and older and younger people with health problems that put them at high risk for serious complications from the virus.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
22 May 2025
-
Additional measures to avoid oral complications should also be taken, according to Sachar.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
All but one have flown atop Falcon 9s; the lone exception was GPS III SV-02, which rode a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket to space in August 2019.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
30 May 2025
-
This requirement effectively limits poll worker eligibility to U.S. citizens and excludes most noncitizens, with a few exceptions, such as high school students serving as student poll workers under supervision.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The Supreme Court on May 27 declined to get involved in a dispute about mining on land sacred to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, a case that religious groups backed to test the scope of a 1993 federal law protecting religious freedom.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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Those CBAs also require that should there be a dispute as to whether the league, a club, a union, or a player abided by their obligations under the CBA, such dispute be settled through a confidential arbitration process.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
According to the mother's complaint, Sekulow and his son did not want to be associated with hiring a gay man at their organization the American Center for Law and Justice, Inc (ACLJ).—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
The report echoes complaints shared throughout the industry, including by the world’s largest European soccer streamer, DAZN.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Difficulty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficulty. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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