difficult

dif·fi·cult

 (dĭf′ĭ-kŭlt′, -kəlt)

adj.

1. Requiring considerable effort or skill; not easy to do or accomplish: "To entertain is far more difficult than to enlighten" (Anthony Burgess).

2. Not easy to endure; full of hardship or trouble; trying: fell upon difficult times.

3. Not easy to comprehend, solve, or explain: a difficult puzzle.

4. Not easy to please, satisfy, or manage: a difficult child.

5. Not easy to persuade or convince; stubborn.

---

[Middle English, back-formation from difficulte, difficulty; see difficulty.]

---

dif′fi·cult′ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

difficult

(ˈdɪfɪkəlt)

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]

ˈdifficultly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dif•fi•cult

(ˈdɪf ɪˌkʌlt, -kəlt)

adj.

1. requiring special effort, skill, or planning; 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.

5. hard to persuade or induce; stubborn.

6. disadvantageous; trying; hampering: under difficult conditions.

7. fraught with hardship, esp. financial hardship: difficult times.

[1350–1400; Middle English, back formation from difficulty]

dif′fi•cult`ly, adv.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	difficult - 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?" hard demanding - requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill; "found the job very demanding"; "a baby can be so demanding" effortful - requiring great physical effort hard - dispassionate; "took a hard look"; "a hard bargainer"; easy - posing no difficulty; requiring little effort; "an easy job"; "an easy problem"; "an easy victory"; "the house is easy to heat"; "satisfied with easy answers"; "took the easy way out of his dilemma"
	2.	difficult - hard to control; "a difficult child", "an unmanageable situation" unmanageable defiant, noncompliant - boldly resisting authority or an opposing force; "brought up to be aggressive and defiant"; "a defiant attitude" disobedient - not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority; "disobedient children" intractable - not tractable; difficult to manage or mold; "an intractable disposition"; "intractable pain"; "the most intractable issue of our era"; "intractable metal"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

difficult

adjective

1. hard, tough, taxing, demanding, challenging, painful, exacting, formidable, uphill, strenuous, problematic, arduous, onerous, laborious, burdensome, wearisome, no picnic (informal), toilsome, like getting blood out of a stone It is difficult for single mothers to get jobs.
hard light, easy, manageable, easy-peasy (slang)

2. problematical, involved, complex, complicated, delicate, obscure, abstract, baffling, intricate, perplexing, thorny, knotty, abstruse, ticklish, enigmatical It was a very difficult decision to make.
problematical simple, obvious, plain, straightforward, uncomplicated

3. troublesome, trying, awkward, demanding, rigid, stubborn, perverse, fussy, tiresome, intractable, fastidious, fractious, unyielding, obstinate, intransigent, unmanageable, unbending, uncooperative, hard to please, refractory, obstreperous, pig-headed, bull-headed, unaccommodating, unamenable I had a feeling you were going to be difficult about this.
troublesome pleasant, accommodating, cooperative, amenable

4. tough, trying, hard, dark, grim, straitened, full of hardship These are difficult times.
tough easy, pleasant

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

difficult

adjective

1. Not easy to do, achieve, or master:

arduous, hard, laborious, serious, tall, tough, uphill.

2. Requiring great or extreme bodily, mental, or spiritual strength:

arduous, backbreaking, burdensome, demanding, effortful, exacting, exigent, formidable, hard, heavy, laborious, onerous, oppressive, rigorous, rough, severe, taxing, tough, trying, weighty.

3. Causing difficulty, trouble, or discomfort:

incommodious, inconvenient, troublesome.

4. Given to acting in opposition to others:

balky, contrarious, contrary, froward, impossible, ornery, perverse, wayward.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

صَعْبصَعْب، شَكِس

obtížnýtěžko zvládnutelnýnesnadný

sværvanskelig

schwierigschwertrotzigdiffizilkompliziert

δύσκολος

malfacila

difícilespinosopesadoproblemáticocomplicado

keeruline

vaikeahankala

difficiledurmalardu

težak

nehéz

erfiîurerfiîur, vandasamur

difficiledifficoltosopesantearduo

困難な

어려운

difficilis

sunkumaisunkumas

grūti audzināms bērnsgrūtssarežģītssmags

moeilijklastig

vanskeligbesværligstrevsomtung

trudnytrudnatrudne

difícil

трудныйтяжёлый

težak

svår

ยาก

güçzor

khó khăn

困难的难弄的

difficult

[ˈdɪfɪkəlt] ADJ

1. (= hard) [task, book, question] → difícil; [writer] → complicado, complejo
there's nothing difficult about it → no es nada difícil
it is difficult to describe the feeling → es difícil describir la sensación
these dogs are difficult to control → estos perros son difíciles de controlar
many youngsters find it difficult to get work → a muchos jóvenes les resulta difícil encontrar trabajo
it was difficult for him to leave her → le resultó difícil dejarla
she is determined to make life difficult for him → está decidida a hacerle la vida imposible
to put sb in a difficult position → poner a algn en una posición comprometida
she is determined to make things difficult for him → está decidida a hacerle la vida imposible
this is a difficult time for us → son tiempos difíciles para nosotros EASY, DIFFICULT, IMPOSSIBLE

2. (= awkward) [person, child, character] → difícil
why are you always trying to be difficult? → ¿por qué siempre estás intentando crear problemas?

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

difficult

[ˈdɪfɪkəlt] adj

(= hard) → difficile
to be difficult to do
This decision is difficult to understand → Cette décision est difficile à comprendre.
It's difficult to choose → C'est difficile de choisir.
it's difficult to understand why ... → c'est difficile de comprendre pourquoi ...
it's difficult to understand how ... → c'est difficile de comprendre comment ...
to find it difficult to do sth → avoir du mal à faire qch
it's difficult being ... → c'est difficile d'être ...
It is difficult being a parent → C'est difficile d'être parent.
it is difficult for sb to do sth → il est difficile pour qn de faire qch

(= awkward) [person] → difficile
to be difficult about sth → faire des difficultés au sujet de qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

difficult

adj

(= hard) question, task, time → schwer, schwierig; situation, writer, book → schwierig; there’s nothing difficult about it → das ist doch gar nicht schwer; the difficult thing is that … → die Schwierigkeit liegt darin, dass …; it was a difficult decision to make → es war eine schwere or schwierige Entscheidung; it is not difficult to imagine → es ist nicht schwer, sich (dat) → das vorzustellen; it was difficult for him to leave her → es fiel ihm schwer, sie zu verlassen; it’s difficult for youngsters or youngsters find it difficult to get a job → junge Leute haben Schwierigkeiten, eine Stelle zu finden; it’s difficult to see what they could have done → es lässt sich schwer vorstellen, was sie hätten tun können; it’s difficult to deny that → es lässt sich kaum leugnen; he’s difficult to get on with → es ist schwer, mit ihm auszukommen; it’s difficult being a man today → es ist schwer, heute ein Mann zu sein; to make it difficult for somebody (to do something) → es jdm nicht leicht machen(, etw zu tun); to have a difficult time (doing something) → Schwierigkeiten haben(, etw zu tun); she’s having a difficult time now she’s on her own → jetzt, wo sie allein ist, hat sie es schwer; to put somebody in a difficult position → jdn in eine schwierige Lage bringen

(= awkward) person, child → schwierig; to be difficult (about something) → (wegen etw) Schwierigkeiten machen; he’s just trying to be difficult → er will nur Schwierigkeiten machen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

difficult

[ˈdɪfɪk/əlt] adj → difficile
difficult to understand → difficile da capire
she is difficult to get on with → ha un carattere difficile
I find it difficult to believe (that ...) → mi pare difficile da credere (che...)
getting started is the difficult thing → il difficile sta nel cominciare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

difficult

(ˈdifikəlt) adjective

1. hard to do or understand; not easy. difficult sums; a difficult task; It is difficult to know what to do for the best. moeilike صَعْب труден difícil obtížný, nesnadný schwierig svær; vanskelig δύσκολοςdifícil raske دشوار؛ سخت vaikea difficileקשה कठिन teško nehéz sulit erfiður, vandasamur difficile 難しい 어려운 sunkus grūts sukar moeilijkvanskelig, tung, strevsomtrudny مشكل، ګران، سخت difícil dificil, greu; complicat трудный ťažký težak, zapleten težak svår ยาก zor, güç 困難的 тяжкий, важкий مشکل یا دشوار ہونا khó khăn 困难的

2. hard to deal with or needing to be treated etc in a special way. a difficult child. moeilike صَعْب، شَكِس труден difícil těžko zvládnutelný schwierig vanskelig δύσκολοςdifícil, problemático raske بد قلق؛ بهانه گیر vaikea difficile בְּעַיָתִי कठिन problematično dijete nehéz (ember) rewel erfiður difficile 扱いにくい 다루기 힘든 sunkus grūti audzināms bērns rumit moeilijkvanskelig, besværligtrudny بد خلقه difícil dificil трудный tvrdohlavý, náročný težaven svojeglav besvärlig ยุ่งยาก zor 難弄的 вимогливий, вибагливий نک چڑھا khó tính 难弄的

ˈdifficulty – plural ˈdifficulties – noun

1. the state or quality of being hard (to do) or not easy. I have difficulty in understanding him. moeite صُعوبَه трудност dificuldade potíž die Schwierigkeit besvær δυσκολίαdificultad raskus دشواری؛ سختی vaikeus difficultéקושי कठिनाई poteškoća nehézség kesulitan vandi, erfiðleikar difficoltà 困難 어려움 sunkumas grūtības kesusahan moeilijkheid, moeitevanske, besvær, strevtrudność سختى، ګرانى: ريړ dificuldade di­fi­­cultate затруднение ťažkosť, problém težava poteškoća svårighet ความยากลำบาก zorluk, güçlük 困難 важкість دشواری کی کیفیت sự khó khăn 困难

2. an obstacle or objection. He has a habit of foreseeing difficulties. moeilikheid عَقَبَه، عائِق пречка dificuldade obtíž die Schwierigkeit vanskelighed εμπόδιοdificultad, obstáculo takistus مخمصه؛ گرفتاری este difficultéבעיה दिक्कत prepreka, poteškoća akadály halangan erfiðleikar, vandamál difficoltà 障害 장애, 방해 kliūtis šķērslis; kavēklis susah moeilijkheid, bezwaarvanskelighet, besværlighettrudność وړاندوينه، مخنيونه dificuldade greutăţi трудность prekážka težava prepreka svårighet อุปสรรค engel, mania 艱難 перешкода پریشانی یا رکاوٹ khó khăn 艰难

3. (especially in plural) trouble, especially money trouble. The firm was in difficulties. moeilikhede, nood ضيق، وَرْطَه затруднения dificuldade těžkosti, těžká situace Schwierigkeiten i pengevanskeligheder; i nød δυσχέρεια, προβλήματα dificultad, dificultades, problemas (rahalised) raskused تنگنا؛ مضیقه ongelma embarras קְשָׁיִים कठिनाई financijske nevolje pénzügyi probléma kesulitan kröggur, fjárhagserfiðleikar difficoltà 窮乏 어려운 일 sunkumai grūtības kepayahan moeilijkheid pengevansker/-knipe kłopot تنګی dificuldade strâm­torare (материальные) затруднения ťažkosti težava poteškoća [penning]knipa ความเดือดร้อน sorun, sıkıntı 困境 труднощі مشکل gặp khó khăn 困境

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

difficult

→ صَعْب obtížný svær schwierig δύσκολος difícil vaikea difficile težak difficile 困難な 어려운 moeilijk vanskelig trudny difícil трудный svår ยาก güç khó khăn 困难的

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

difficult

a. difícil.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

• How difficult is this slope? → مَا مَدَى صُعُوبَةِ هَذَا الْـمُنْحَدَرِ؟ → Jak obtížná je tahle sjezdovka? → Hvor svær er denne løjpe? → Wie schwierig ist dieser Hang? → Πόσο δύσκολη είναι αυτή η πίστα; → ¿Es muy difícil esta pista? → Miten vaikea tämä rinne on? → Cette descente est difficile ? → Koliko je teška ova staza? → Quant'è difficile questa pista? → このスロープはどのくらい難しいですか？ → 이 슬로프는 얼마나 어렵나요? → Hoe moeilijk is deze piste? → Hvor vanskelig er denne bakken? → Jak trudny jest ten stok? → É difícil esta rampa? → Насколько сложен этот склон? → Hur svår är den här pisten? → ทางลาดลงยากแค่ไหน? → Bu iniş zor mu? → Đường dốc này có khó lắm không?? → 这条滑雪道有多难？

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009