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
Sean Gregory, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Most Odysseys Unlimited tour travelers are between the ages of 50 and 80, and guests must be able to get on and off buses and be up for a fair amount of walking (including uphill or on uneven terrain).
—Christine Sarkis, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Daryl Austin, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The evolution of intelligent life around red dwarf stars is likely to be an uphill slog, due to the demands needed to jumpstart oxygenic photosynthesis.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uphill
Adjective
The athlete uses the skis with skins the whole time on the first uphill section but only for part of the second ascent.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Most Odysseys Unlimited tour travelers are between the ages of 50 and 80, and guests must be able to get on and off buses and be up for a fair amount of walking (including uphill or on uneven terrain).
—Christine Sarkis, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
Moderate cycling at 10 mph burns close to 600 per hour for a 154-pound person, while intervals, uphill climbs or vigorous pacing can burn even more.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
The evolution of intelligent life around red dwarf stars is likely to be an uphill slog, due to the demands needed to jumpstart oxygenic photosynthesis.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uphill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uphill
Adjective
-
This requires the difficult task of collecting precise, real-world measurements of complex nuclei and comparing the measurements with the models’ predictions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Feb. 2026
-
While that process may prove difficult, the suspension option was hardly better.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
One of the challenges in living in the historic district of Manayunk during a snowstorm is not only the hills, but the brick streets that residents said make things more slippery.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The yelps and chatter of a nursery school recess clattered down from a small hill overlooking the scene.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
If some species can continue reproducing even under challenging conditions, that resilience could buy ecosystems valuable time.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Much of Shrinking revolves around people going through challenging times and healing through finding love, such as Paul (Harrison Ford) beginning a relationship with his doctor.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Nguyen notes that flat bench presses are effective for building your middle chest, incline presses emphasize the upper chest, and decline presses and dips target the lower chest muscle fibers.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Social media is also a big fan of the incline.—
Outside,
Outside,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Going through a severe injury is probably the toughest thing an athlete can go through.—
DJ Siddiqi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
More companies are dialing back flexible work schedules and mandating that employees return to the office part-time or full-time, forcing women into tough situations.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bigger deals are harder to come by because of the current regulatory environment, Konanahalli said.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Also, the cold weather is forecast to get much worse from Sunday, with temperatures dropping even further and making the time frame for a pause in attacks hard to understand.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dozens of asylum seekers like her, as well as refugees who passed a rigorous, years-long vetting process before being admitted to the United States, have been arrested in Minnesota in recent weeks, immigration lawyers and advocates say.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Every small business article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of business products.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brooks sat for roughly 10 hours of interviews over five sessions — a demanding schedule for a 99-year-old subject, but one Apatow approached with care.—
Stephen Silver,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The incident, blown out of proportion in his opinion, was, on the contrary, an example of how demanding the crowd can be at Juventus.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uphill. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
