difficulty

difficulty 指事情难做、目标受阻的状态或具体难处，也可引申为难以理解之处、反对意见，以及陷入的麻烦或险境。

💡 记忆钩子

把它想成一条原本要走通的路突然出现阻力：路难走，是“困难”；阻力挡住目标，是“难处或障碍”；路况复杂到让人看不懂、有人提出反对，或走着走着陷入麻烦和险境，也都可以用 difficulty 表示。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“做某事有困难”和“遇到具体难处”这两个核心意思，再学习它表示难以理解、反对意见或陷入麻烦的延伸用法。
不要只把 difficulty 当作形容词 difficult 的简单名词形式；它还可以指一个具体的障碍、问题或困境。

📖 中文释义

noun

core 做某事有困难

📖 指某件事难以完成，或某人做这件事时感到吃力；重点是“路本身不好走”或“行动不容易”。

💡 常用句型是“have difficulty (in) doing sth”或“have difficulty with sth”，其中动词通常用动名词形式，不说“have difficulty to do sth”。一般困难常用不可数形式；若强调某个具体难处，则可以说“a difficulty”。

countable uncountable

I had difficulty finding the right address.

我很难找到正确的地址。

She has difficulty sleeping when she is worried.

她担心时很难入睡。
core 妨碍目标的具体障碍

📖 指在实现目标的过程中挡住去路的具体问题或障碍；它不是泛泛地说“很难”，而是指出让计划无法顺利进行的阻力。

💡 常见句型是“face/encounter a difficulty”或“run into difficulties”，也可说“a difficulty in doing sth”。可数时通常需要限定词或复数；不要把所有困难都机械地说成“a difficulty”，一般状态仍常用不可数形式。

countable uncountable

We ran into a difficulty while preparing the report.

我们准备报告时遇到了一个难处。
common 危险或险境

📖 特指人在水上或其他自然环境中遇到可能造成伤害的危险，仿佛走在路上突然陷入无法安全通过的险境。

💡 这一意思常出现在“get into difficulties”或“be in difficulties”中，尤其常用复数形式。它多见于新闻、救援或较正式的叙述，不能把普通的学习困难都理解成这种危险。描述具体危险时，通常需要从上下文看出是环境造成的险境。

countable in-plural sometimes uncountable

The hikers got into difficulties when the river rose suddenly.

河水突然上涨后，那些徒步旅行者陷入了险境。
rare 反对意见

📖 指对某个计划或说法提出的反对理由，相当于在前进的路上指出一个不应忽视的阻力。

💡 常见于“raise difficulties about/over sth”一类较正式的表达，意思不是单纯说事情很难。这个用法在普通会话中不如“objection”常见，学习时先认识即可。

countable uncountable
common 难以理解或相信之处

📖 指某个说法、解释或事实中让人难以理解或相信的部分，也就是思路上的阻力，而不一定是行动上的障碍。

💡 常用句型是“the difficulty is that ...”或“the difficulty with sth is that ...”，后面通常接具体原因。这里强调的是某一点本身难以解释或接受，不要一律理解成做事费力。

countable uncountable

The difficulty with his explanation is that it ignores the main evidence.

他的解释难以成立之处在于忽略了主要证据。
common 麻烦或尴尬的纠纷

📖 指人与人之间或处境中出现的麻烦、纠纷或尴尬局面，表示事情已经从有阻力发展到不容易收拾。

💡 常见于“get into difficulties with sb”或“have difficulties with sb/sth”，具体是纠纷、关系紧张还是一般麻烦要由语境判断。这个用法常带有“陷入困境”的意味，不要只把它译成抽象的“困难”。

countable uncountable

He got into difficulties with his neighbors over the noisy parties.

他因为聚会太吵，和邻居闹出了麻烦。

difficulties plural

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 4 组

an effort that is inconvenient; ; ;

同义词集: trouble difficulty

I went to a lot of trouble

he won without any trouble

had difficulty walking

finished the test only with great difficulty

上位: effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail

the quality of being difficult

同义词集: difficulty difficultness

they agreed about the difficulty of the climb

反义: ease, easiness, simpleness, simplicity 上位: quality 下位: asperity, formidability, grimness, hardness, hardship, inconvenience, niceness, rigor, rigorousness, rigour, rigourousness, ruggedness, severeness, severity, subtlety, toughness, troublesomeness, worriment

a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result

同义词集: difficulty

serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent

下位: balk, baulk, check, deterrent, handicap, hinderance, hindrance, impediment, killer, kink, problem, trouble, wrinkle

a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome

同义词集: difficulty

grappling with financial difficulties

上位: condition, status 下位: bitch, fix, hole, jam, job, kettle of fish, mess, mire, muddle, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, problem, quandary, situation, strain, stress, wall

🌳 词源

源自拉丁语，原意与“使容易的事变得不容易”有关；后来由 difficult 加名词后缀形成。

From Middle English difficulte, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile and difficult. Equivalent to dis- + facile + -ty. Also analysable as difficult + -y, though the adjective is historically a backformation from the noun.

🔄 变式

difficulties plural

🏷 单词标签 & 词根