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.
"We would like to pass on our deepest sympathies to his family and friends and our thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time."
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
But Puls said switching goods transport from shipping to trucks is difficult, as many trucks are typically required to carry the cargo of a single commercial vessel.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
It was also difficult for me to get home and feel so lonely because there was no one waiting for me anymore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
“I say very clearly, it’s going to be very difficult to win, but it isn’t completely impossible.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
If anyone finds out about her illness, it will be difficult for the Jesuits to hide her.
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.
