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View synonyms for

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:

    Antonyms:

  2. hard to understand or solve:

    a difficult problem.

    Synonyms: , ,

    Antonyms:

  3. hard to deal with or get on with:

    a difficult pupil.

  4. hard to please or satisfy:

    a difficult employer.

    Synonyms: , ,

  5. hard to persuade or induce; stubborn:

    a difficult old man.

    Synonyms: ,

  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

/ ˈɪɪə /

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ徱ڴھܱٱ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • 徱f·ܱl adverb
  • ԴDz·徱f·ܱ adjective
  • ܲȴ-徱f·ܱ adjective
  • quasi-徱f·ܱl adverb
  • p·徱f·ܱ adjective
  • super·徱f·ܱl adverb
  • ܲ·徱f·ܱ adjective
  • un·徱f·ܱl adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of difficult1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty ( def )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of difficult1

C14: back formation from difficulty
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Synonym Study

See hard.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I got so many chuckles out of it and could really put myself in your shoes, and that’s something that's difficult to do when you’re writing, so you really achieved that.

From

He added he had been married five times and that Burrows' abuse made it difficult for him to form relationships.

From

“It was very difficult in that way, but we had a child together and I was trying to protect the family.”

From

She stood down a year ago, saying she could not continue her judicial work amid an increasingly difficult public debate that had led to her being singled out for abuse and criticism.

From

"It's really horrible but these people who are speculating, they didn't go to the trial, they don't know the facts and it has been really difficult."

From

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