''With great difficulty'' in American English

[Xavier da Silva]

Hello everyone,


I've been looking for an idiom that means "with great difficulty" in my context below.


"It really wasn't easy, but we finished the work. With great difficulty, we finally did it.''


My question: is there something more natural than "with great difficulty" in American English or I'll just have to use "with great difficulty" anyway?


Thank you in advance!

 

[gramman]

Without offering a list , here are a few examples:

We had to grind it out, but …

It was an uphill battle, but …

It was a tough nut to crack, but …

I would say these are more colloquial, but not necessarily more "natural." I don't think there's anything wrong with using "with great difficulty."

 

[Cenzontle]

Your implication is right, Xavier, "with great difficulty" has a formal sound that would be unusual in conversation.
I can't think of an adverbial equivalent at this moment, but I might suggest...
"... It was hard, but we finally did it.