absence of difficulties

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "absence of difficulties" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation or condition where there are no challenges or obstacles present. Example: "The project was completed with an absence of difficulties, allowing the team to meet the deadline comfortably."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

At the end of a war in which Americans were repeatedly told to steel themselves for difficulties that lay ahead, the thing that few of us were fully prepared for was the continued absence of difficulties..

The New Yorker

At the end of a war in which Americans were repeatedly told to steel themselves for difficulties that lay ahead, the thing that few of us were fully prepared for was the continued absence of difficulties.

The New Yorker

Thus, if a happy mood is assumed to signal goal progress, the absence of difficulties or threats, and/or the presence of a benign situation, it would be adaptive to rely on more abstract identifications that maintain focus on long-term goals in such a mood.

Cognition and Emotion

The positive relationship of active transport and transportation cycling with walking/cycling facilities and the negative association of transportation cycling with hilliness were found in the expected directions, as the results probably refer to the importance of respectively adequate infrastructure and the need for absence of difficulties during active transportation.

BMC Public Health

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

The absence of difficulty breathing best predicted suspected tuberculosis (Table 4) and suggests that this symptom should not be included in diagnostic algorithms for TB.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Features associated with the diagnosis of suspected TB by the respiratory physicians were haemoptysis, weight loss, night sweats, previous TB, pleuritic chest pain, absence of difficulty breathing, and absence of wheeze.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Reading difficulties were the primary concern of the children and their parents and no subjects reported writing difficulties in the absence of reading difficulties.

BMC Ophthalmology

We interviewed controls for confirming the absence of learning difficulties or psychiatric problems during childhood and the study, respectively.

BMC Psychiatry

The results showed that the defining characteristics that better differentiate the studied diagnoses are agitation, irritability and diaphoresis for IGE; dyspnea, use of accessory muscles to breathe, orthopnea, and abnormal breathing pattern for IBP and excessive sputum, absence of cough, difficulty verbalizing, nasal flaring, and adventitious breath sounds for IAC.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing

Missing values (unrecorded data) in the difficult airway assessment section of the registry were regarded as absence of the difficulty predictor.

BMJ Open

Therefore, this region seems to be truly sensitive to syntactic structure, even in the absence of a difficulty effect between the ISS and ISO conditions.

Cerebral Cortex

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity, use "absence of difficulties" to specifically highlight the lack of challenges, particularly when unexpected or noteworthy.

Common error

Avoid using "absence of difficulties" when simpler phrases like "easy" or "simple" would suffice. The phrase is more impactful when emphasizing a surprising or beneficial lack of problems in a situation where they might typically be expected.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "absence of difficulties" functions primarily as a noun phrase. It typically acts as a subject complement or object, describing a state or condition characterized by the lack of challenges. As Ludwig confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "absence of difficulties" is a grammatically sound noun phrase used to describe the lack of challenges or problems in a particular situation. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness. While not overly common, it appears in both scientific and news contexts. When using this phrase, consider whether simpler alternatives like "easy" or more descriptive phrases like "lack of complications" might be more appropriate. Prioritize its use to describe situations when a freedom from challenges is unexpected or particularly beneficial. Top sources include The New Yorker, BMC Pulmonary Medicine, BMC Public Health and BMC Ophthalmology.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

absence of impediments

Similar to the original phrase, but uses a more formal term.

lack of complications

Focuses specifically on the absence of complicating factors.

freedom from obstacles

Emphasizes the liberation from impediments or barriers.

without a hitch

An idiomatic way of saying that something happened perfectly.

smooth sailing

An idiomatic expression denoting ease and lack of problems.

problem-free state

Highlights the condition of being without problems.

devoid of struggles

Emphasizes the lack of any type of struggle or hardship.

unchallenged progress

Focuses on the advancement without facing any challenges.

easy circumstances

Indicates that the surrounding conditions are not creating hardship.

effortless process

Stresses the ease and lack of effort required.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "absence of difficulties" to sound more natural?

Consider using phrases like "smooth sailing", "problem-free", or "without a hitch" for a more idiomatic and natural tone. The best choice depends on the specific context.

What does it mean when something proceeds with an "absence of difficulties"?

It means the process or activity was completed without encountering any significant problems, obstacles, or setbacks. Consider that "lack of complications" is also a good synonym.

Is "absence of difficulties" appropriate for formal writing?

Yes, the phrase is suitable for formal writing. However, in some contexts, a more concise term like "ease" or a more formal term like "absence of impediments" might be preferred.

When is it best to use "absence of difficulties" over similar phrases?

Use "absence of difficulties" when you want to emphasize that a situation was surprisingly or unusually free of problems, particularly when challenges were expected.