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.
And the heat inside his flat became difficult to manage.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Such language points to the hurdles for even minimal agreements before getting to more difficult questions like Iran’s nuclear program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Wilson, 24, also ranks among the top 5% of MLB players most difficult to strike out, making contact in more than 90% of his at-bats during his three-year career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Beyond administrative hurdles, students face difficult personal choices, such as family separation and mothers unable to evacuate with their children.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Unlike illnesses such as tuberculosis or flu, it can be difficult to hide an advanced case of Hansen’s disease.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
