ETYM Latin asperitas, from asper rough: cf. French aspérité.
1. Harshness of manner; SYN. sharpness.
2. Something hard to endure; SYN. grimness, hardship, rigor, rigour, severity, rigorousness.
Roughness of surface or sound.
Roughness, acrimony.
Water having a great depth; serious trouble, great misfortune
ETYM Latin difficultas, from difficilis difficult; dif- = dis- + facilis easy: cf. French difficulté. Related to Facile.
1. A factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result.
2. A situation or condition almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome.
3. The quality of being difficult; SYN. difficultness.
(chiefly British) hard luck — often used interjectionally