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difficult

dif·fi·cult

difficult

 
 
pronunciation:
dI f klt
features:
Word Combinations (adjective), Word Builder, Word Explorer
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: hard to accomplish or understand.
Getting everyone to agree was a difficult task.His mother helped him with the more difficult math problems.Shakespeare's prose can be difficult.
synonyms:
arduous, complex, hard, knotty, laborious, thorny, tough, troublesome, uphill
antonyms:
easy, effortless, elementary, simple, straightforward
similar words:
ambitious, demanding, formidable, onerous, severe, stiff, strenuous, tall, tricky
definition 2: hard to please or manage.
Her boss is a difficult person.Her mother says she was difficult as a teenager.
synonyms:
hard, intractable, troublesome
antonyms:
accommodating, easy, manageable
similar words:
contrary, demanding, obstinate, perverse, problem, stubborn, temperamental
definition 3: filled with or causing hardship or pain.
They had a difficult life back in the old country.She had a difficult labor with her first child.
synonyms:
arduous, hard, rough, tough, troublesome, uphill
antonyms:
convenient, easy, painless
similar words:
formidable, ill
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivation: difficultly (adv.)
Word Builder: difficult +
  • difficulty:
    something that is difficult
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