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difficult
[ dif-i-kuhlt, -kuhlt ]
/ ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌlt, -kəlt /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
OTHER WORDS FOR difficult
1 arduous.
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Origin of difficult
1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty
synonym study for difficult
1. See hard.
OTHER WORDS FROM difficult
Words nearby 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, adverbWord Origin for difficult
C14: back formation from difficulty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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