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

This is a difficult one to start off with.

Read more on BBC

Tech executives who heard about it from their employees found it difficult to get in touch with the company.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The next step is determining whether reproducing this unexpected distribution is itself computationally difficult or whether the observed errors caused the device to lose its 'quanutmness'.

Read more on Science Daily

"Some of the problems they've been solving 10 years ago, many of those problems that were really difficult to solve are now quite easy to solve in the modern application," he said.

Read more on BBC

Merino equalised for Arsenal just before the hour but Chelsea dug in and held out in difficult circumstances.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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