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difficultly

intermediateB2

/ˈdɪfɪkəltli/ · dif-fi-cult-ly

In a difficult manner; with great effort, struggle, or hardship; not easily.

daily literature philosophy formal writing

Meanings

adverbformal

In a difficult manner; with great effort, struggle, or hardship; not easily.

مشکل طریقے سے؛ بڑی محنت، جدوجہد یا تکلیف کے ساتھ؛ آسانی کے بغیر۔

مشکل سے

mushkil se

Formal: دشواری کے ساتھColloquial: مشکل مشکل سے

Synonyms

laboriously arduously strenuously painfully with difficulty hardlyمحنت سےدشواری سےتکلیف سےبمشکل

Antonyms

easily effortlessly smoothly readily without difficultyآسانی سےبآسانیسہولت سےبغیر مشکل کے

Common Collocations

breathe difficultly
move difficultly
speak difficultly
difficultly achieved
difficultly expressed
difficultly obtained
walk difficultly
difficultly worded

Example Sentences

He breathed difficultly after climbing the steep mountain trail.

کھڑی پہاڑی راہ پر چڑھنے کے بعد وہ مشکل سے سانس لے رہا تھا۔

Khari pahadi raah par charhne ke baad woh mushkil se saans le raha tha.

The elderly woman walked difficultly through the crowded market.

بزرگ خاتون بھیڑ بھاڑ والے بازار میں دشواری سے چلتی رہی۔

Buzurg khatoon bheed bhaar waale bazaar mein dushwari se chalti rahi.

She difficultly suppressed her tears during the farewell ceremony.

اس نے الوداعی تقریب کے دوران مشکل سے اپنے آنسو روکے۔

Us ne alwadai taqreeb ke dauran mushkil se apne aansu roke.

The injured soldier difficultly made his way back to camp.

زخمی سپاہی تکلیف سے واپس کیمپ تک پہنچا۔

Zakhmi sipaahi takleef se waapas camp tak pahuncha.

Easily Confused With

with difficulty:'With difficulty' is the far more common and natural phrase in modern English meaning the same thing; 'difficultly' is grammatically valid but rarely used and may sound awkward.

difficult:'Difficult' is an adjective (e.g., 'a difficult task'), while 'difficultly' is its adverbial form meaning 'in a difficult manner'.

difficulty:'Difficulty' is a noun referring to the state or condition of being hard to do (e.g., 'great difficulty'), whereas 'difficultly' is an adverb modifying a verb.

hardly:'Hardly' means 'scarcely' or 'almost not', implying near impossibility, whereas 'difficultly' emphasizes the manner of struggle or effort involved.

Word Family

difficult

adjectiveمشکل / دشوار

difficulty

nounمشکل / دشواری

difficulties

noun (plural)مشکلات / دشواریاں

difficultness

nounدشواری / مشکل پن

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 'difficult' + '-ly': just as 'quickly' means 'in a quick manner', 'difficultly' means 'in a difficult manner'. Picture someone lifting a heavy boulder — they are doing it difficultly, straining with every ounce of effort.

Imagine a person pushing a gigantic boulder uphill in slow motion, sweat dripping, face strained — every inch gained with tremendous struggle. That image captures 'difficultly' perfectly.

✍️ Urdu Poetry

مشکل سے کٹتی ہے شب ہجر، مگر کٹتی ہے ہر تاریک رات کے بعد سویرا آتا ہے

Mushkil se katti hai shab-e-hijar, magar katti hai Har taareek raat ke baad sawera aata hai

The night of separation passes difficultly, yet it does pass; after every dark night, the dawn arrives.

— Unknown, Unverified

* Poetry attribution is AI-generated and may require verification.

🗣️ Urdu Proverb

مشکل میں ہی آدمی کی پہچان ہوتی ہے

Mushkil mein hi aadmi ki pehchaan hoti hai

It is only in difficulty that a person's true character is revealed.

📖 Etymology

Origin: Latin via Old French and Middle English "difficilis → difficulté → difficult + -ly" — not easy; from 'dis-' (not) + 'facilis' (easy, from facere: to do)

First known use: 16th century

The root 'difficult' entered English in the 15th century from Old French 'difficile' and Latin 'difficilis'. The adverbial suffix '-ly' was appended in English to form 'difficultly', meaning 'in a difficult manner'. While 'with difficulty' is far more commonly used in modern English, 'difficultly' exists as a grammatically valid adverb, though it is rare and considered somewhat archaic or overly formal. It appears occasionally in literary and philosophical writing.