dificuldade

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• difficuldade (pre-reform spelling)

Etymology

From Latin difficultātem (“difficulty”), from difficilis (“difficult, troublesome”), from dis- (“not”) + facilis (“easy”, whence Portuguese fácil), from faciō (“to do, to make”, whence Portuguese fazer), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place, set”, root of English do).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒi.fi.kuwˈda.d͡ʒi/ [d͡ʒi.fi.kuʊ̯ˈda.d͡ʒi]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒi.fi.kuwˈda.d͡ʒi/ [d͡ʒi.fi.kuʊ̯ˈda.d͡ʒi]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒi.fi.kuwˈda.de/ [d͡ʒi.fi.kuʊ̯ˈda.de]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /di.fi.kulˈda.dɨ/ [di.fi.kuɫˈda.ðɨ]

• Hyphenation: di‧fi‧cul‧da‧de

Noun

dificuldade f (plural dificuldades)

1. (uncountable) difficulty (state of being difficult)

   Antonym: facilidade

2. a difficult situation; a hardship

   Synonyms: obstáculo, impedimento, estorvo

   • 1938, Graciliano Ramos, “Fabiano”, in Vidas Seccas [Barren Lives]‎^[1], Rio de Janeiro: Livraria José Olympio Editora, page 23:

     Sim senhor, um bicho, capaz de vencer difficuldades.

     Yes sir, an animal, one able to overcome hardships.

Related terms

• desfazer
• difícil
• dificultação
• dificultado
• dificultar
• dificultoso

Further reading

• “dificuldade”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “dificuldade”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026