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
Relevance
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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of difficulty
The creators of Staunch Moderates are aware of this difficulty and take a different approach.
—
Ethan Stone, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
What to watch: There's no denying public health agencies have had difficulty reaching audiences with scientific evidence, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Natalie Daher, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
If these workers are deported, the food industry will probably have great difficulty replacing them.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
But there are several counties where the difficulty is even higher.
—Jasmine Cui, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for difficulty 
Ethan Stone, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
What to watch: There's no denying public health agencies have had difficulty reaching audiences with scientific evidence, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Natalie Daher, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
If these workers are deported, the food industry will probably have great difficulty replacing them.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
But there are several counties where the difficulty is even higher.
—Jasmine Cui, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for difficulty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficulty
Noun
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From a spring celebration of bare survival after pitiless hardships, Thanksgiving has evolved to its present proportions, with a football game in every stadium and millions of family parties, starting with fruit cocktail and concluding with fruit, cheese, coffee, cordial and cigars.Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024
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Voluntary hardship is the rigorous practice of leaders.Matt Reynolds, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Noun
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They are not deterred by the complexities and challenges of personal injury cases.Chris Gallagher, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Though some of this complexity is implemented deliberately to execute organizational strategy, the reality is that much of it operates outside traditional visibility tools.Rajat Bhargava, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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That immediately elicited objections from the South Arkansas Minerals Association, which also objected to the December application, and dozens of other mineral rights owners.Ainsley Platt, arkansasonline.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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That expansion came over the objection of the court's chief justice at the time.Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Dealing With Labor Challenges Tree fruit crops require a good deal of hand labor and the political controversy around immigration policy has compromised the functionality of the H2A system needed to supply that labor.Steven Savage, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
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Patrick's jump into political commentary has not been without controversy.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In the wake of the ruling, numerous reports have emerged of women dying or nearly dying from miscarriages or complications in dangerous pregnancies, as doctors were unable to intervene due to these bans.Lizzie Hyman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Losing Prescott is sure to add some huge complications for the offense, but the Cowboys have Cooper Rush and Trey Lance to lean on while Prescott heals.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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One exception taken from extensive personal experience: What comes out of the tap during our winter stays in Surfside Beach, Texas, is to be avoided.Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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There was one notable exception, however: Wisconsin, where Democrats saw steep decline with Black voters.Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The paper trail is your best defense in case of disputes later on.Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 22 Nov. 2024
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In noting that any outcome of the trial would be appealed by the losing side, Ezra effectively acknowledged Abbott's assertion at the start of the legal dispute.John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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West has been the subject of a wave of complaints filed after his antisemitic rants posted on his social media accounts in October 2022 sparked widespread criticism and the end of his lucrative partnerships with Gap and Adidas.Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024
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The Department of Justice filed a 2017 complaint against UnitedHealth alleging the company used false information to inflate charges to the government.Darius Tahir, NPR, 22 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near difficulty
Cite this Entry
“Difficulty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficulty. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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