as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
an uphill battle to eradicate poverty in an area of the state that has never known anything else
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hill
an upward slope
no matter where you go bicycle touring, the uphills always seem to outnumber the downhills
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uphill
Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Winning against a Rockets team fighting for homecourt advantage will be an uphill climb, but the Sixers have won important games this season when shorthanded.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Outside, 31 Jan. 2026
The Full Moon uphills are such a unique way to gather with the community.
—Shauna Farnell, Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for uphill
Adjective
But Rene faced this uphill climb with the same indomitable spirit that defined her, filling her days with smiles, prayers, good deeds and with adventures, especially after tests offered up hope that the disease had been halted.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Winning against a Rockets team fighting for homecourt advantage will be an uphill climb, but the Sixers have won important games this season when shorthanded.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
Even mountaineering training guidance includes step-up exercises to help prime the glutes and quads for intense uphill climbs with a load on your back.
—Outside, 31 Jan. 2026
The Full Moon uphills are such a unique way to gather with the community.
—Shauna Farnell, Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for uphill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uphill
Adjective
-
But with the Lightning taking back home-ice advantage with this win and the series shifting back to Tampa, where Cooper will have full control of the matchup, the task becomes that much more difficult for the Suzuki line.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Tornadoes are extremely difficult to see and confirm at night.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Grand Hotel Parker’s Naples’ historic grande dame occupies a privileged position on a hill in the elegant Chiaia neighborhood, with sweeping views of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius in the distance.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Avoid sudden braking or acceleration, and be especially cautious on hills or when making turns.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And that making fairly big changes would be really challenging, not only internally at CBS, but externally for the audience.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Two miles of on-site hiking trails offer challenging routes leading to meditation gardens, hilltop swings, and astonishing views of the Pitons and coastline below.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Others, though, like the Innsdale trail, offer a more breezy walk with some incline, showing off the sparkling blue Hollywood Reservoir on a sunny day (most days in Los Angeles).—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The portable treadmill is designed to fit easily into your space, turning any room into a walking track with adjustable incline, remote control, and a display for tracking distance and calories.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That's a tough ask given that this isn't the first time the network's credibility has come into question.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Another tough one, all having to do with writer friends and boundaries (or the lack thereof).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Larysa, Oleh, and their cousins would scale apple trees and bite into unripe fruit, hard and green.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The best way to do that is to take the least amount of gas (since the tires are hard like hockey pucks and don’t wear out much).—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Experts who study such drugs welcomed rigorous, scientific scrutiny.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
-
His novels, especially the later ones, were rigorous, ecstatic immensities unlike anything that anticipated them.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The women farmers say that the demanding nature of the work in the chile pepper fields discourages men.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
-
What follows this war will be narrower, harder, and more demanding.—
Nawaf M. Al-Thani,
semafor.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uphill. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
