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

And while Russian involvement is suspected, it is difficult to prove.

Read more on Barron's

While not actually rare, they are difficult to extract because they are scattered and mixed among other rocks and minerals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Sky-high drug prices are a perennial source of widespread ire in the United States, and have sparked numerous legislative and administrative actions the impact of which can be difficult to determine.

Read more on Barron's

U.S. and global tech, defense, and automotive firms need those materials, which are difficult to source outside China.

Read more on Barron's

Traces of her life between then and her death were difficult to recover.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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