difficult

[ dif-i-kuhlt, -kuhlt ]
See synonyms for: difficultdifficultly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard: a difficult job.

  2. hard to understand or solve: a difficult problem.

  1. hard to deal with or get on with: a difficult pupil.

  2. hard to please or satisfy: a difficult employer.

  3. hard to persuade or induce; stubborn: a difficult old man.

  4. disadvantageous; trying; hampering: The operation was performed under the most difficult conditions.

  5. fraught with hardship, especially financial hardship: We saw some difficult times during the depression years.

Origin of difficult

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty

synonym study For difficult

1. See hard.

Other words for difficult

Opposites for difficult

Other words from difficult

  • dif·fi·cult·ly, adverb
  • non·dif·fi·cult, adjective
  • qua·si-dif·fi·cult, adjective
  • qua·si-dif·fi·cult·ly, adverb
  • su·per·dif·fi·cult, adjective
  • su·per·dif·fi·cult·ly, adverb
  • un·dif·fi·cult, adjective
  • un·dif·fi·cult·ly, adverb

Words Nearby difficult

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use difficult in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for difficult

difficult

/ (ˈdɪfɪkəlt) /


adjective
  1. not easy to do; requiring effort: a difficult job

  2. not easy to understand or solve; intricate: a difficult problem

  1. hard to deal with; troublesome: a difficult child

  2. not easily convinced, pleased, or satisfied: a difficult audience

  3. full of hardships or trials: difficult times ahead

Origin of difficult

1
C14: back formation from difficulty

Derived forms of difficult

  • difficultly, adverb

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