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difficult

[ dif-i-kuhlt, -kuhlt ]
/ ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌlt, -kəlt /
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See synonyms for: difficult / difficultly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
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Origin of difficult

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty

synonym study for difficult

1. See hard.

OTHER WORDS FROM difficult

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use difficult in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for difficult

difficult
/ (ˈdɪfɪkəlt) /

adjective
not easy to do; requiring efforta difficult job
not easy to understand or solve; intricatea difficult problem
hard to deal with; troublesomea difficult child
not easily convinced, pleased, or satisfieda difficult audience
full of hardships or trialsdifficult times ahead

Derived forms of difficult

difficultly, adverb

Word Origin for difficult

C14: back formation from difficulty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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