difficult

[dif-i-kuhlt, -kuhlt]

adjective

1. not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard.

   a difficult job.

   Synonyms: arduous
   Antonyms: easy

2. hard to understand or solve.

   a difficult problem.

   Synonyms: knotty, involved, intricate
   Antonyms: simple

3. hard to deal with or get on with.

   a difficult pupil.

4. hard to please or satisfy.

   a difficult employer.

   Synonyms: fussy, finical, particular

5. hard to persuade or induce; stubborn.

   a difficult old man.

   Synonyms: uncompromising, obdurate

6. disadvantageous; trying; hampering.

   The operation was performed under the most difficult conditions.

7. fraught with hardship, especially financial hardship.

   We saw some difficult times during the depression years.

difficult

/ ˈdɪfɪkəlt /

adjective

1. not easy to do; requiring effort

   a difficult job

2. not easy to understand or solve; intricate

   a difficult problem

3. hard to deal with; troublesome

   a difficult child

4. not easily convinced, pleased, or satisfied

   a difficult audience

5. full of hardships or trials

   difficult times ahead

Other Word Forms

• difficultly adverb
• nondifficult adjective
• quasi-difficult adjective
• quasi-difficultly adverb
• superdifficult adjective
• superdifficultly adverb
• undifficult adjective
• undifficultly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of difficult¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of difficult¹

C14: back formation from _difficulty

Synonym Study

See hard.

Example Sentences

"I think it would be difficult not to look in his direction then," she says.

Read more on BBC

Opponents, including the influential entertainment industry, had argued it would be difficult to implement because streaming services don't have the same control over ad volume as broadcasters.

Read more on BBC

"It's been a relentless and very, very difficult process, when it should have been much easier," says Nora Parr, an academic and researcher at Birmingham University, who has co-ordinated the educational evacuations.

Read more on BBC

“If we saw evidence of smoke or heat, then we would provide resources to that. So that, I know that’s a common practice, and it’s just, it’s a very difficult fire burning underground.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Adhering to a new standard won’t be too difficult, he said, even if changes are required.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ambitious 
• arduous 
• burdensome 
• challenging 
• crucial 
• demanding 
• laborious 
• onerous 
• painful 
• problematic 
• severe 
• strenuous 
• tough 
• troublesome