English > difficulty: 4 senses > noun 2, cognition| Meaning | A factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result. |
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| Narrower | facer | (a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced |
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| hindrance, hinderance, deterrent, impediment, balk, baulk, check, handicap | Something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress |
| killer | A difficulty that is hard to deal with |
| kink | A difficulty or flaw in a plan or operation |
| pisser | A very disagreeable difficulty |
| pitfall, booby trap | An unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty |
| snorter | Something outstandingly difficult |
| trouble, problem | A source of difficulty |
| wrinkle | A minor difficulty |
| Broader | cognitive factor | Something immaterial (as a circumstance or influence) that contributes to producing a result |
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| Spanish | complicación, dificultad, impedimento, obstáculo, pega, problema |
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| Catalan | complicació, dificultat, impediment, obstacle, problema |
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English > difficulty: 4 senses > noun 3, state| Meaning | A condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome. |
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| Narrower | bitch | An unpleasant difficulty |
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| fix, hole, jam, mess, muddle, pickle, kettle of fish | informal terms for a difficult situation |
| hard time, rough sledding | A difficulty that can be overcome with effort |
| mire | A difficulty or embarrassment that is hard to extricate yourself from |
| pinch | A painful or straitened circumstance |
| predicament, quandary, plight | A situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one |
| problem, job | A state of difficulty that needs to be resolved |
| rattrap | A difficult entangling situation |
| situation | A complex or critical or unusual difficulty |
| stress, strain | difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension |
| urinary hesitancy | Difficulty in beginning the flow of urine |
| wall | A difficult or awkward situation |
| Broader | condition, status | A state at a particular time |
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| Spanish | contrariedad, dificultad, obstáculo, problema |
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| Catalan | contrarietat, dificultat, obstacle, problema |
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English > difficulty: 4 senses > noun 4, attribute| Meaning | The quality of being difficult. |
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| Example | "they agreed about the difficulty of the climb" |
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| Synonym | difficultness |
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| Attributes | difficult, hard | not easy |
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| Narrower | asperity, grimness, hardship, rigor, rigour, severity, severeness, rigorousness, rigourousness | Something hard to endure |
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| burdensomeness, heaviness, onerousness, oppressiveness | unwelcome burdensome difficulty |
| effortfulness | The quality of requiring deliberate effort |
| formidability, toughness | impressive difficulty |
| hardness, ruggedness | The quality of being difficult to do |
| subtlety, niceness | The quality of being difficult to detect or analyze |
| troublesomeness, inconvenience, worriment | A difficulty that causes anxiety |
| Broader | quality | An essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone |
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| Opposite | ease, easiness, simplicity, simpleness | freedom from difficulty / difficulty or hardship / hardship or effort |
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| Spanish | dificultad |
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| Catalan | dificultat |
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