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

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

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 AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.7 / 3 votes

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 AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

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 WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

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 ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ardouos

   Submitted by anonymous on December 16, 2019  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

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 WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. difficultadjective

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

   Antonyms:
   facile, light, easy

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:5.0 / 1 vote

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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How to use difficult in a sentence?

1. Jeff Tabor:

   For us, it is much more difficult to coordinate these transfer requests, the patients during the summer surge are so much sicker than during the winter surge.

2. Vatican News:

   The protest caught the Vatican players by surprise, who were expecting a simple sporting event, and together with their manager, took the difficult decision not to take part in the match so as not to further the exploitation of the event.

3. Leah Askarinam:

   Gubernatorial candidates can campaign on issues that are state-specific like the states budget and education funding -- and they can cross party lines without facing the same kind of political pressure as Senate candidates who have to work with a national legislature, weve seen candidates like John Bel Edwards support state policies that limit abortion access, for example, which is a much more difficult stance to take as a Democrat in the Senate.

4. Don Henley:

   It was very difficult and very emotional.

5. Daniel Getz:

   If we get to the point where we saturate our ability to deliver care, then we're put in that incredibly difficult position, and that's a tragic decision to have to make. You're now trying to triage patients. You have multiple sick patients. You're trying to determine which of those patients does not get life-saving care.