difficult
Americanadjective
-
not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard.
a difficult job.
- Synonyms:
- arduous
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
hard to understand or solve.
a difficult problem.
- Antonyms:
- simple
-
hard to deal with or get on with.
a difficult pupil.
-
hard to please or satisfy.
a difficult employer.
- Synonyms:
- fussy, finical, particular
-
hard to persuade or induce; stubborn.
a difficult old man.
- Synonyms:
- uncompromising, obdurate
-
disadvantageous; trying; hampering.
The operation was performed under the most difficult conditions.
-
fraught with hardship, especially financial hardship.
We saw some difficult times during the depression years.
adjective
-
not easy to do; requiring effort
a difficult job
-
not easy to understand or solve; intricate
a difficult problem
-
hard to deal with; troublesome
a difficult child
-
not easily convinced, pleased, or satisfied
a difficult audience
-
full of hardships or trials
difficult times ahead
Synonym Usage
See hard.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of difficult
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty ( def. )
Explanation
If something is difficult, it requires physical effort or brain power to complete, like climbing Mount Everest, a difficult journey. Difficult has Latin parts: dis meaning "not, un" and facilis meaning "easy." So, something that is difficult is not easy, like marathon running. Difficult can also be used to describe a situation or person that is hard to control. For example, if you babysit a difficult child, he or she might run away from you and not obey you. And you might have a difficult time agreeing to watch that child again.
Vocabulary lists containing difficult
President Obama's second inaugural address
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"Angels in the Snow"
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Obama's speech at Connecticut vigil
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Thoughtfully positioned to embrace its extraordinary surroundings, the home offers an intimate connection to the coastline while maintaining a level of seclusion that is increasingly difficult to find.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
A month ago, when OpenAI announced that one of its powerful internal models had cracked a notoriously difficult Millennium Prize Problem, it looked like the most spectacular demonstration yet of AI’s progress in mathematics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
A notice on the website of Grimston Medical Centre, where Dr Terry is listed as a member of the practice team, said it was "temporarily closed due to extremely difficult circumstances affecting our practice team".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
They have been especially enamored with nuclear power, which provides clean, 24-7 electricity, but is difficult and costly to build.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I’ve spent years researching enchanted worlds, trying to get back to the one I visited. But growing up is difficult, sad business. Everything becomes more important. I wish I could have avoided it.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
