UPHILL Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

uphill 1 of 2

adjective

ˈəp-ˌhil

Definition of uphill

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

uphill

2 of 2

noun

ˈəp-ˌhil

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

And then in that meantime, there’s all this uphill struggle of, like, your friends are still doing it. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 The men reversed course to flee uphill, one briefly stopping to film before realizing the scale of the danger. — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Noun

The moment that will likely endure from Klæbo’s perfect Olympics happened on a brutal uphill during the sprint. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026 When a bicyclist right behind me takes a spill on a slow uphill near UCSF Medical Center, my instinct is to dial 911. — Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uphill

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uphill

Adjective

Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of difficult

Noun

The province of Jijel, 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Algiers, renowned for its fine sandy beaches, turquoise waters and hills of olive trees and fruit trees and cedars, has suffered the greatest damage.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
The route at Thousand Steps Beach in South Laguna gains roughly 250 feet in elevation within a quarter mile from the sand to the highest point of the Ninth Avenue hill.

— Jenna Belhumeur, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of hill

Adjective

Eric Loucks, the director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown, pointed out that a person can have a challenging experience during meditation and still find their overall meditation practice to be beneficial.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
For something more hands-on, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville has a challenging kart circuit where karts can reach 50 mph or more.

— Chris Teague, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of challenging

Noun

The imposing gate and incline signal that privacy is one of the adults-only resort’s strongest assets, attracting high-profile guests like Katy Perry and Sir Paul McCartney.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
The Pro version utilizes dual 250-W all-wheel-drive hubs to generate the torque to climb an impressive 15% hill incline.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of incline

Adjective

Space-grade electronics will cost more, and the ball’s shell—made from a material tough enough to roll over steel shards and withstand minus 184 °C temperatures—has never been evaluated in lunar extremes.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
Democratic leaders face tough decisions on where to spend limited party resources to win the Senate majority.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Seager's team is providing the AFN, along with their ongoing, rigorous science preparation.

— Leonard David, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
The 2022 Nature Biotechnology review urged rigorous clinical testing, and later reviews continued to flag reliability and standardization issues.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of rigorous

Adjective

That night, somewhere between a racist stranger, a free dessert, my girlfriend publicly shaming a man in a Mediterranean restaurant and our demanding cat, the City of Angels started to feel like home.

— Mayur Chauhan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
And the longer or more demanding the workout, the more important such fuel becomes.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of demanding

Browse Nearby Words

upheld

uphill

uphills

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Style

“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uphill. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of uphill

adjective

noun

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