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difficile
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Synonyms
argumentative
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Difficult
[
dif
-i-kuhlt
,
-k
uh
lt
]
Example Sentences
Origin
dif·fi·cult
/
ˈdɪf
ɪˌkʌlt
,
-kəlt
/
Show Spelled
[
dif
-i-kuhlt
,
-k
uh
lt
]
Show IPA
adjective
1.
not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard:
a difficult
job
.
2.
hard to understand or solve:
a difficult problem.
3.
hard to deal with or get on with:
a difficult pupil.
4.
hard to please or satisfy:
a difficult employer.
5.
hard to persuade or induce; stubborn:
a difficult old man.
EXPAND
6.
disadvantageous; trying; hampering:
The operation was performed under the most difficult conditions.
7.
fraught with hardship, especially financial hardship:
We saw some difficult times during the depression years.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1350–1400;
Middle English,
back formation from
difficulty
Related forms
dif·fi·cult·ly,
adverb
non·dif·fi·cult,
adjective
qua·si-dif·fi·cult,
adjective
qua·si-dif·fi·cult·ly,
adverb
su·per·dif·fi·cult,
adjective
EXPAND
su·per·dif·fi·cult·ly,
adverb
un·dif·fi·cult,
adjective
un·dif·fi·cult·ly,
adverb
COLLAPSE
Synonyms
1.
arduous.
See
hard.
2.
intricate, perplexing, involved, knotty.
4.
particular, finical, fussy.
5.
obdurate, uncompromising.
Antonyms
1.
easy.
2.
simple.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Difficult
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Difficult
is always a great word to know.
So is
slumgullion
. Does it mean:
So is
ort
. Does it mean:
So is
ninnyhammer
. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example Sentences
Finding a balance is one of the difficult issues in academia.
It was very difficult if you didn't know your way around or didn't have access.
Control is difficult, because the fungus can survive in the soil for years without a host.
EXPAND
Adjective
Finding a balance is one of the difficult issues in academia.
It was very difficult if you didn't know your way around or didn't have access.
Control is difficult, because the fungus can survive in the soil for years without a host.
It has been a difficult balancing act, perhaps never more so than this year.
You're not the only one making these difficult decisions.
The real issue is not easy oil versus difficult oil.
As it gets more difficult to hang on economically, old families begin to slip.
You can make the puzzle more difficult by increasing the number of pieces.
Pasteurized dried egg whites ― once difficult to find ― are available in most supermarkets and do an impressive job.
Yet it may still prove difficult to get agreement through the parties' congresses.
COLLAPSE
Collins
World English Dictionary
difficult
(ˈdɪfɪk
ə
lt)
—
adj
1.
not easy to do; requiring effort:
a difficult job
2.
not easy to understand or solve; intricate:
a difficult problem
3.
hard to deal with; troublesome:
a difficult child
4.
not easily convinced, pleased, or satisfied:
a difficult audience
5.
full of hardships or trials:
difficult times ahead
[C14: back formation from
difficulty
]
'difficultly
—
adv
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
difficult
c.1400, apparently a back formation from
difficulty
. French has difficile, Latin difficilis. Of persons, "hard to please," from 1580s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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"Probably nature itself gave man the ability to lie so that in difficult and tense moments he could protect his nest, just as do the vixen and wild duck."
-Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
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