uphill

[uhp-hil, uhp-hil]

adverb

1. up or as if up the slope of a hill or other incline; upward.

   The soldiers marched uphill. Water does not run uphill without assistance.

adjective

1. going or tending upward on or as if on a hill.

   an uphill road.

2. at a high place or point.

   an uphill village.

3. laboriously fatiguing or difficult.

   an uphill struggle to become wealthy.

   Synonyms: grueling, taxing, strenuous, hard, arduous

noun

1. a rising terrain; ascent.

uphill

/ ˈʌpˈhɪl /

adjective

1. inclining, sloping, or leading upwards

2. requiring arduous and protracted effort

   an uphill task

adverb

1. up an incline or slope; upwards

2. against difficulties

noun

1. a rising incline; ascent

Word History and Origins

Origin of uphill¹

First recorded in 1540–50; up- + hill

Example Sentences

“The hilarious thing is, we thought everything was solved at that point, and we were going to be financially taken care of, and it would be all uphill from there,” Larsen says.

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It left the visitors facing an uphill task to regain the Ashes with four Tests still to go, the second a day-night match in Brisbane on December 4.

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Berrettini, the world number 56, took the opening set with a single break of serve, but faced an uphill battle in the second when he was broken for the first time and fell 5-2 behind.

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Penelope sounded more stern than usual, for her new hiking boots were beginning to pinch, and the trail had been going uphill for some time now.

Read more on Literature

I strode slightly uphill past five houses and St. James United Methodist Church, where we worshipped, to the corner of Barton Road.

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Related Words

• arduous 
• exhausting 
• grueling 
• punishing 
• strenuous