uphill 1 of 2

adjective

ˈəp-ˌhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
Definition of uphillnext
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

uphill

2 of 2

noun

ˈəp-ˌhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
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
Adjective
Hole 15 brings on the challenge demanding your best uphill shots. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 9 July 2026 On the ground floor are a golf simulator and a putting green that can be adjusted for uphill, downhill, and off-camber putts. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 July 2026
Noun
This also means that the jacket is lightweight enough to stash on the uphill and warm enough to offer protection on the ski down. — Outside, 28 Feb. 2026 The Chiefs’ run over the last decade was akin to moving a boulder uphill. — Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uphill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uphill
  1. difficult
  2. hill
  3. challenging
  4. incline
  5. tough
  6. hard
  7. rigorous
  8. demanding
Adjective
  • Strickland said even getting equipment on the road during construction can be difficult for farmers.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 July 2026
  • While following the money may be difficult, there are other signs of the growing role of organized crime in politics.
    — Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Definition of difficult
Noun
  • The fire ignited near Little Valley Road and Hubbard Lane before racing across nearby grassy hills and sending a plume of smoke over parts of the East Bay.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 24 July 2026
  • It should be noted, however, that before construction began, Universal Studios did place speakers on its old special effects and stunt buildings to see how noise traveled down the hill.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of hill
Adjective
  • In April, DeepSeek rolled out previews of its latest V4 model, challenging OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s Gemini.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
  • As a business owner, Maloney says, the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of the job is making all the decisions and solving every problem.
    — Claire Hall, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Definition of challenging
Noun
  • This bouncer has a three-point incline, so your baby can be more relaxed or more alert, and a three-point harness to keep them stable.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 24 July 2026
  • In a letter obtained by TMZ, Hostin argued her son mistakenly entered the property while jogging after spotting what appeared to be a gravel incline suitable for hill training.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of incline
Adjective
  • There were tough conversations between Naylor and Cleveland’s coaches and front office.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Villegas, after a tough primary election battle against Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, has roughly $572,000.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Not play-act, but do the real work, make the hard and noble choices, not forsake his vows but live by them.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Adding another employee, buying a new piece of equipment, or expanding into a larger space all become harder when the tax code penalizes those investments.
    — Kent Strang, Boston Herald, 26 July 2026
Definition of hard
Adjective
  • Then again, allowing American companies to sell BPC-157 for human use could create the impression that the peptide, which hasn’t passed through the rigorous process the FDA uses to approve new drugs, nonetheless has the agency’s blessing.
    — Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • Hydrogen requires specialized storage systems, dedicated airport infrastructure, and rigorous safety standards.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
Definition of rigorous
Adjective
  • The company positions it as a daily-use model rather than one reserved only for the most demanding workloads.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
  • Valdebebas sources describe Mourinho as demanding but approachable — someone who pushes players hard while remaining involved in every detail of training.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of demanding

Browse Nearby Words

upheld
uphill
uphills
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uphill. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on uphill

Nglish: Translation of uphill for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All