difficilmente

Difficilmente is an Italian adverb that means with difficulty or hardly. It is used to indicate that an action is performed with effort or that something occurs only rarely or with a low probability. The sense can convey practical difficulty, improbability, or caution in judgment, depending on the context. It can modify a verb directly, as in Difficilmente arriva in tempo, or be used with a passive or adjectival phrase, as in Questo problema è difficilmente risolvibile.

Etymology and form: difficilmente is formed from the adjective difficile (difficult) plus the adverbial suffix -mente. Its root traces back to Latin difficilis. Like other Italian adverbs such as facilmente or rapidamente, difficilmente serves to describe the manner or degree of an action or state.

Usage notes: Difficilmente is common in both written and spoken Italian, though it often appears in more formal or careful prose. It can emphasize either literal difficulty (con difficoltà) or low likelihood (almost not). In many contexts, it can be paired with synonyms such as con fatica or a stento, or contrasted with easily (facilmente).

Related forms and synonyms: Related expressions include con difficoltà and a stento. The opposite term is facilmente (with ease) or con facilità. In cross-language use, cognates include Spanish dificultosamente, French difficilement, and Portuguese dificilmente.

See also: Difficoltà (noun), Difficile (adjective), Facile (antonym).