difficulties

noun

plural of difficulty
1
as in hardships
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complications
something that makes a situation more complicated or difficult there was a minor difficulty when we realized that the store had already closed

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3
as in objections
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?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in controversies
variance of opinion on a matter the theologian's ongoing difficulties with the Vatican

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of difficulties There have been numerous books written about the difficulties making of that classic. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026 For some, these negative self-views can lead to difficulties with commitment and more conflict between partners. — Christina Balderrama-Durbin, The Conversation, 22 June 2026 Go through the mental exercise of all the potential difficulties. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 4 July 2026 The product, used to manage swallowing difficulties, might cause NEC, the FDA said. — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026 The setback stems from difficulties manufacturing a key circuit board at the heart of the system, SemiAnalysis said in a post on Monday. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 July 2026 Common symptoms include headache, dizziness, memory problems, and balance difficulties. — Dr. Tal Patalon, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 For those with visual difficulties, communication material is provided with larger font sizes. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2026 The screening generated immediate excitement, but the film soon encountered difficulties securing distribution. — José Salazar, IndieWire, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficulties
  1. hardships
  2. complications
  3. objections
  4. controversies
  5. complexities
  6. exceptions
  7. disputes
  8. complaints
Noun
  • So as opposed to, say, inspiring American leaders of all kinds, like a real explanation of the character of Harriet Tubman or of Chief Joseph or Americans struggled against real hardships.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • The pseudonymous title character, a depressed, drunken, belligerent twenty-six-year-old advice columnist, has no real hardships of his own and is cursed by doubt.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Definition of hardships
Noun
  • Among the potential complications are severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and loss of fluid volume in the body, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
    — Adam England, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • The babies, who were about 17 days old, had no complications other than prematurity, the summary said.
    — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of complications
Noun
  • News cameras will be allowed to record and broadcast much of the hearing, the judge ruled last week over the objections of Robinson’s attorneys.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • In the letter reviewed by the Miami Herald, Persad-Bissessar said her objections were neither personal nor political.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of objections
Noun
  • But the Dodgers organization seems to always find itself in the middle of other off-field controversies, and last season was no exception.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • Can Foxx remember a time when all three main wings of local government in Charlotte were dealing with such big changes and controversies?
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026
Definition of controversies
Noun
  • This software layer must manage data and model lifecycles while providing a cloud-native platform and resilient hypervisor to abstract away hardware complexities.
    — Sam Rastogi, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Chinese humanoid makers pay companies like X-Humanoid up to $150 an hour for physical interaction data, depending on the complexities of these chores, said Jiang Weilai, head of the facility X-Humanoid.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Definition of complexities
Noun
  • The statute would ban covered officers from wearing masks or shielding their identities while on duty and interacting with the public, with exceptions including medical masks, religious coverings, certain tactical equipment and hazardous conditions.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • While the majority of states have lieutenant governors, there are exceptions.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of exceptions
Noun
  • Herzog won a power struggle in the front office, then quit anyway, amid disputes with ownership.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • According to Castillo, one of the most significant failures has been the tendency to treat many squatter complaints as civil disputes rather than criminal investigations.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of disputes
Noun
  • The result was a menu of skin complaints – fungal, bacterial and otherwise.
    — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Florida ranks third in overall internet fraud complaints, as well as third in money lost, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2025 annual report.
    — Ella Moore July 2, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of complaints

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Cite this Entry

“Difficulties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficulties. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of difficulties for Spanish Speakers

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