Something that is difficult is not easy to do, understand, or deal with.
Hobart found it difficult to get her first book published.
The lack of childcare provisions made it difficult for single mothers to get jobs.
It was a very difficult decision to make.
We're living in difficult times.
Synonyms: problematical, involved, complex, complicated More Synonyms of difficult
2. adjective
Someone who is difficult behaves in an unreasonable and unhelpful way.
I had a feeling you were going to be difficult about this.
Synonyms: troublesome, trying, awkward, demanding More Synonyms of difficult
More Synonyms of difficult
difficult in British English
(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
Derived forms
difficultly (ˈdifficultly)
adverb
Word origin
C14: back formation from difficulty
difficult in American English
(ˈdɪfɪˌkʌlt; ˈdɪfɪkəlt)
adjective
1.
hard to do, make, manage, understand, etc.; involving trouble or requiring extra effort, skill, or thought
2.
hard to satisfy, persuade, please, etc.
SIMILAR WORDS: hard
Derived forms
difficultly (ˈdiffiˌcultly)
adverb
Word origin
ME, back-form. < difficulty
Examples of 'difficult' in a sentence
difficult
It’s actually not all that difficult to deal with.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
These scores are very difficult to get right.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It takes a massive toll on you doing hard and difficult storylines.
The Sun (2017)
It is clear to us that we have a difficult job.
The Sun (2016)
Why that is the case is more difficult to understand.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This is a very difficult problem to address at long range.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It is just so difficult to deal with this situation.
The Sun (2016)
It is very difficult to get in the first team.
The Sun (2016)
He said it had been a difficult first quarter but there had been some improvement in the second three months in its stores and online.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Those who live around the parks complain that the agency is remote and difficult to deal with.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Unless there is a cut the situation will get very difficult.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You have some moves that are technically hard and others that are just physicallydifficult.
The Sun (2012)
Yet his job is a difficult one.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They need to understand how difficult it is to sign players.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
To compose a planting scheme is similarly easy or difficult.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
Where this leaves them in terms of social status is a problem they find difficult to resolve.
Lee Harvey Critical Social Research (1990)
The first year was difficult as it takes time to get used to people.
The Sun (2008)
This is a hugely difficult group to deal with.
The Sun (2006)
The physical scars healed but mentally it was more difficult to get over what happened.
The Sun (2008)
If it is very hard it is difficult to know which tools to recommend for all this.
Kitto, Dick Planning the Organic Vegetable Garden (1986)
We did a tough job in difficult circumstances to the best of our abilities.
The Sun (2010)
They made what might have been a difficult transition an easy one.
Christianity Today (2000)
What really makes this and similar problems difficult is its cultural component.
Evans, Peter & Deehan, Geoff The Descent of Mind - the how and why of intelligence (1990)
It makes them a really difficult first game.
The Sun (2015)
The news leak could make a deal difficult.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It can be quite difficult to get in and out at times.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That makes life more difficult and the job harder.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Quite how the ref made such a howler was difficult to understand.
The Sun (2009)
The explanation can be as easy or difficult as anybody chooses to make it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
difficult
British English: difficult /ˈdɪfɪklt/ ADJECTIVE
If something is difficult, it is not easy to do or to understand.
The homework was too difficult for us.
American English: difficult
Arabic: صَعْب
Brazilian Portuguese: difícil
Chinese: 困难的
Croatian: težak
Czech: obtížný
Danish: svær
Dutch: moeilijk
European Spanish: difícil
Finnish: vaikea
French: difficile
German: schwierig
Greek: δύσκολος
Italian: difficile
Japanese: 困難な
Korean: 어려운
Norwegian: vanskelig
Polish: trudny
European Portuguese: difícil
Romanian: dificil
Russian: трудный
Latin American Spanish: difícil
Swedish: svår
Thai: ยาก
Turkish: güç zor
Ukrainian: важкий
Vietnamese: khó khăn
All related terms of 'difficult'
difficult birth
When a baby is born, you refer to this event as his or her birth .
difficult issue
An issue is an important subject that people are arguing about or discussing .
difficult match
A match is an organized game of football , tennis , cricket , or some other sport.
difficult time
You use time to refer to a period of time or a point in time, when you are describing what is happening then. For example, if something happened at a particular time , that is when it happened. If it happens at all times , it always happens.
difficult opponent
In a sporting contest , your opponent is the person who is playing against you.
difficult period
A period is a length of time.
difficult position
You can describe your situation at a particular time by saying that you are in a particular position .
difficult process
A process is a series of actions which are carried out in order to achieve a particular result.
difficult question
A question is something that you say or write in order to ask a person about something.
difficult season
You can use season to refer to a fixed period during each year when a particular sport is played.
difficult terrain
Terrain is used to refer to an area of land or a type of land when you are considering its physical features.
difficult challenge
A challenge is something new and difficult which requires great effort and determination .
difficult conversation
If you have a conversation with someone, you talk with them, usually in an informal situation.
difficult environment
Someone's environment is all the circumstances , people, things, and events around them that influence their life.
Chinese translation of 'difficult'
difficult
(ˈdɪfɪkəlt)
adj
[task, problem, decision]困难(難)的 (kùnnan de)
[person, child]执(執)拗的 (zhíniù de)
⇒ Don't be difficult!别那么执拗! (Bié nàme zhíniù!)
I found it difficult to ... 我认(認)为(為) ... 很难(難) (wǒ rènwéi ... hěn nán)
it is difficult being a parent为(為)人父母很难(難) (wéi rén fùmǔ hěn nán)
it is difficult for us to understand her我们(們)很难(難)理解她 (wǒmen hěn nán lǐjiě tā)
it is difficult to save省钱(錢)是件难(難)事 (shěngqián shì jiàn nánshì)
All related terms of 'difficult'
it is difficult to save
省钱(錢)是件难(難)事 shěngqián shì jiàn nánshì
I found it difficult to ...
我认(認)为(為) ... 很难(難) wǒ rènwéi ... hěn nán
to find sth easy/difficult
觉(覺)得某事容易/难(難) juéde mǒushì róngyì/nán
a difficult/attractive proposition
一个(個)棘手/有趣的问(問)题(題) yī gè jíshǒu/yǒuqù de wèntí
it is difficult being a parent
为(為)人父母很难(難) wéi rén fùmǔ hěn nán
he's going through a difficult time
他正经(經)历(歷)着(著)困难(難)时(時)期 tā zhèng jīnglìzhe kùnnan shíqī
it is difficult for me to complain
我很难(難)抱怨 wǒ hěn nán bàoyuàn
it's hot/difficult enough as it is
已经(經)够(夠)热(熱)/难(難)的了 yǐjīng gòurè/nán de le
it is difficult for us to understand her
我们(們)很难(難)理解她 wǒmen hěn nán lǐjiě tā
more dangerous/difficult (than)
(比 ... )更危险(險)/难(難) (bǐ ... ) gèng wēixiǎn/nán
1 (adjective)
Definition
not easy to do, understand, or solve
It is difficult to read the sign from here.
Synonyms
hard
Coping with three babies is very hard work.
tough
taxing
You won't be asked to do anything too taxing.
demanding
It is a demanding job.
challenging
painful
the long and painful journey across the desert
exacting
He was not well enough to carry out such an exacting task.
formidable
We have a formidable task ahead of us.
uphill
It had been an uphill struggle to achieve what she wanted.
strenuous
Avoid strenuous exercise in the evening.
problematic
arduous
The task was more arduous than he had calculated.
onerous
parents who have had the onerous task of bringing up a difficult child
laborious
Keeping the garden tidy all year round can be a laborious task.
burdensome
The outlay so far has not been too burdensome.
wearisome
no picnic (informal)
toilsome
like getting blood out of a stone
Opposites
light
,
easy
,
manageable
,
easy-peasy (slang)
2 (adjective)
Definition
not easy to do, understand, or solve
It was a very difficult decision to make.
Synonyms
problematical
involved
The operation can be quite involved, requiring special procedures.
complex
in-depth coverage of today's complex issues
complicated
The political situation in this region is very complicated.
delicate
the delicate issue of adoption
obscure
The contract is written in obscure language.
abstract
baffling
I was constantly ill, with a baffling array of symptoms.
intricate
intricate patterns and motifs
perplexing
The procedure is perplexing at the best of times.
thorny
the thorny issue of immigration policy
knotty
The new management team faces some knotty problems.
abstruse
Meetings keep reverting to discussions about abstruse resolutions.
ticklish
the ticklish question of the future of the EU
enigmatical
Opposites
simple
,
obvious
,
plain
,
straightforward
,
uncomplicated
3 (adjective)
Definition
not easily pleased or satisfied
I had a feeling you were going to be difficult about this.
Synonyms
troublesome
The economy has become a troublesome problem for the party.
trying
awkward
She's got to an age where she's being awkward.
demanding
a very demanding child
rigid
My father is very rigid in his thinking.
stubborn
He is a stubborn character used to getting his own way.
perverse
You're just being perverse.
fussy
She's not fussy about her food.
tiresome
intractable
How can we reduce the influence of intractable opponents?
fastidious
He was fastidious about his appearance.
fractious
unyielding
his unyielding attitude on this subject
obstinate
He is obstinate and determined and will not give up.
intransigent
The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent.
unmanageable
The signs are that indulged children tend to become unmanageable.
unbending
her unbending opposition to the old regime
uncooperative
a bunch of stupid, cranky, uncooperative old fools
hard to please
refractory
refractory priests who tried to side with the king
obstreperous
pig-headed
In her pig-headed way, she insisted that she was right.
bull-headed
unaccommodating
unamenable
Opposites
pleasant
,
accommodating
,
cooperative
,
amenable
4 (adjective)
Definition
full of hardships or trials
These are difficult times.
Synonyms
tough
It was a tough decision but I think we made the right one.
trying
The whole business has been very trying.
hard
That's a very hard question.
dark
His endless chatter kept me from thinking dark thoughts.
grim
Things were pretty grim for a time.
straitened
full of hardship
Opposites
easy
,
pleasant
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abstruse
Definition
not easy to understand
Meetings keep reverting to discussions about abstruse resolutions.