Synonyms for difficult
ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌlt, -kəltdif·fi·cult

Wiktionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. difficultadjective

   Synonyms:
   cumbersome, hard, burdensome

2. difficultadjective

   hard, not easy, requiring much effort

   Synonyms:
   cumbersome, burdensome, hard

3. difficultadjective

   hard to manage, uncooperative, troublesome; eg. said of a person, a horse, etc.

   Synonyms:
   burdensome, hard, cumbersome

English Synonyms and Antonyms(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. difficult

   Arduous (Latin arduus, steep) signifies primarily so steep and lofty as to be difficult of ascent, and hence applies to that which involves great and sustained exertion and ordinarily for a lofty aim; great learning can only be won by arduous toil. Hard applies to anything that resists our endeavors as a scarcely penetrable mass resists our physical force. Anything is hard that involves tax and strain whether of the physical or mental powers. Difficult is not used of that which merely taxes physical force; a dead lift is called hard rather than difficult; breaking stone on the road would be called hard rather than difficult work; that is difficult which involves skill, sagacity, or address, with or without a considerable expenditure of physical force; a geometrical problem may be difficult to solve, a tangled skein to unravel; a mountain difficult to ascend. Hard may be active or passive; a thing may be hard to do or hard to bear. Arduous is always active. That which is laborious or toilsome simply requires the steady application of labor or toil till accomplished; toilsome is the stronger word. That which is onerous (Latin onus, a burden) is mentally burdensome or oppressive. Responsibility may be onerous even when it involves no special exertion.

   Synonyms:
   arduous, exhausting, hard, laborious, onerous, severe, toilsome, trying

   Antonyms:
   easy, facile, light, pleasant, slight, trifling, trivial

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. difficult

   Synonyms:
   hard, intricate, involved, perplexing, enigmatical, obscure, trying, arduous, troublesome, up hill, unmanageable, unamenable, reserved, opposed

   Antonyms:
   easy, plain, straight, pimple, lucid, categorical, tractable, amenable, unreserved, favorable

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. difficult, hardadjective

   not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

   "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"

   Synonyms:
   severe, voiceless, arduous, grueling, tough, toilsome, concentrated, heavy, laborious, hard, gruelling, intemperate, knockout, punishing, unvoiced, operose, backbreaking, surd, strong, unmanageable

   Antonyms:
   uncomplicated, cushy, casual, hands-down, soft, clean, effortless, unproblematic, smooth, simple, easy, painless, simplified, elementary, user-friendly, easygoing

2. unmanageable, difficultadjective

   hard to control

   "a difficult child", "an unmanageable situation"

   Synonyms:
   uncorrectable, uncontrollable, hard, unwieldy, unmanageable

   Antonyms:
   easy, hands-down, cushy, clean, simple, uncomplicated, user-friendly, elementary, casual, unproblematic, painless, smooth, easygoing, simplified, soft, effortless

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. ardouos

   Submitted by anonymous on December 16, 2019  

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. difficultadjective

   Synonyms:
   hard, arduous. herculean, up-hill, beset with difficulty

2. difficultadjective

   Synonyms:
   austere, rigid, unyielding, unaccommodating

3. difficultadjective

   Synonyms:
   fastidious, dainty, squeamish, hard to please

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. difficultadjective

   Synonyms:
   arduous, onerous, complicated, intricate, hard, uncompliant, intractable, perverse, fastidious, exacting

   Antonyms:
   facile, light, easy

PPDB, the paraphrase database(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "difficult":

   hard, challenging, tough, difficulty, arduous, complicated, difficulties, difficile, complex, tricky, thorny, problematic, delicate, harsh, hardship, easy, awkward, daunting, intractable, challenge, heavy, laborious, picky, painful, uphill, sensitive, dire, demanding, onerous, cumbersome, troubled, troublesome, painstaking, elusive, serious

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use difficult in a sentence?

1. Beagle Jr.:

   Keep the families of the soldiers in your prayers during this difficult time, in trying times like these, it is incumbent upon us all to reach out to your battle buddy. Make sure they are OK.

2. Michelle Bennett:

   I know how difficult this is for them, i can't imagine being on the front lines of that and having to go home everyday and risk infection themselves, but then have the compassion and the empathy to be right there in that moment as if it was their own mother. That was one of the most amazing things I've experienced.

3. Henri Leconte:

   For the moment Dominic Thiem beat him in Madrid but still Rafa is the number one, but there's still an opportunity for someone to beat him at the French. It's difficult because it's five sets. I don't know why but there could be an opportunity. He is the best player of all time on clay.

4. Stefanie Berk:

   We owe this to our long-standing customers, committed employees and other partners who have supported us so much over the years and in the last difficult weeks.

5. Steven Law:

   At this very moment the issue is moving so fast that accurate predictions are difficult to make, i think it's likely this will inflame partisan energy on both sides -- and that could make the confirmation vote a lose-lose proposition either way for red-state Democrat senators.