difficult

adjective

dif·​fi·​cult ˈdi-fi-(ˌ)kəlt 

1

: hard to do, make, or carry out : arduous

a difficult climb

2

a

: hard to deal with, manage, or overcome

was in a difficult position

Why must you be so difficult?

having a difficult time coping with her death

b

: hard to understand : puzzling

difficult reading

found calculus too difficult

difficultly adverb

Synonyms of difficult

• challenging
• tough
• hard
• rigorous
• demanding
• formidable
• complicated

Choose the Right Synonym for difficult

hard, difficult, arduous mean demanding great exertion or effort.

hard implies the opposite of all that is easy.

farming is hard work

difficult implies the presence of obstacles to be surmounted or puzzles to be resolved and suggests the need of skill or courage.

the difficult ascent of the mountain

arduous stresses the need of laborious and persevering exertion.

the arduous task of rebuilding

Examples of difficult in a Sentence

We were asked lots of difficult questions.

I had to make a very difficult decision.

We'll be hiking over difficult terrain.

It's more difficult than it sounds.

I found myself in a difficult position.

Some difficult days lie ahead of us.

These changes will make life difficult for everyone involved.

Recent Examples on the Web

This was a difficult moment for the defense, which outside of this penalty, played a pretty great game. —Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. —Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Dec. 2025

The weight of gold, with the fragility of ceramic, makes tungsten is extremely difficult to mine. —Anna Coren, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025

This left her in a difficult position, as the party now had no food plans. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, probably back-formation from difficulte difficulty

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

difficult

adjective

dif·​fi·​cult ˈdif-i-(ˌ)kəlt 

1

: hard to do, make, or carry out

a difficult climb

2

a

: hard to deal with, manage, or overcome

a difficult child

b

: hard to understand : puzzling

difficult reading

difficultly adverb