- not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand
- The competition judges were given a very difficult task.
- a difficult decision/question
- difficult for somebody Asking for help is extremely difficult for some people.
- it is difficult to do something It's really difficult to read your writing.
- something is difficult to do Your writing is really difficult to read.
- It is difficult to imagine how this could have happened.
- She finds it very difficult to get up early.
- it is difficult for somebody to do something It's difficult for them to get here much before seven.
- It has become increasingly difficult for young people to buy a house.
Synonyms difficultdifficulthard ▪ challenging ▪ demanding ▪ taxingThese words all describe something that is not easy and requires a lot of effort or skill to do.difficult not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand:- The exam questions were quite difficult.
- It is difficult for young people to find jobs around here.
- I always found languages quite hard at school.
- It was one of the hardest things I ever did.
- It is a technically demanding piece of music to play.
- This shouldn’t be too taxing for you.
- difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing for somebody
- difficult/hard to do something
- physically difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing
- technically difficult/challenging/demanding
- mentally/intellectually challenging/demanding/taxing
Extra Examples- It is getting more and more difficult to find a job.
- The fog made driving very difficult.
- He finds French pronunciation quite difficult.
- Finding an acceptable solution proved more difficult.
- I was given the difficult task of informing the girl's parents of her disappearance.
- Senior lawyers handle the most difficult cases.
- She is confronted with a difficult choice.
- The design of the building posed some difficult challenges.
- The exam questions were particularly difficult.
- We didn't realize how difficult it was going to be.
- The application process is notoriously difficult.
- It is difficult to understand who this book is aimed at.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- prove
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- full of problems; causing a lot of trouble
- I found myself in a difficult situation.
- difficult conditions/circumstances
- I'd had a difficult time and needed a break.
- a difficult year/month
- My boss is making life very difficult for me.
- 13 is a difficult age.
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failurea1, Personal qualitiesa1- They had to set up camp in extremely difficult conditions.
- His presence there put me in a very difficult position.
- The next few months were quite difficult.
- These are difficult and painful memories.
- Her childhood was incredibly difficult.
- Change is difficult for everyone.
- The challenge of vaccinating the entire adult population is made doubly difficult by misinformation.
- What's the most difficult personal situation you've ever been in?
- There was a great deal of difficult terrain to be covered.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- prove
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- (of people) not easy to please; not helpful synonym awkward
- a difficult child/customer/boss
- Don't pay any attention to her—she's just being difficult.
- The singer has a difficult reputation.
Extra Examples- Roger was always a difficult child.
- We have training in how to deal with difficult customers.
- In every workplace there's always someone you find difficult.
- Stop being so difficult.
Word Originlate Middle English: back-formation from difficulty.
Idioms
See difficult in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee difficult in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishhave a (hard/difficult) job doing/to do something
- to have difficulty doing something
- You'll have a job convincing them that you're right.
- He had a hard job to make himself heard.
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failurec2- She'll have a tough job getting the team into shape in time.
- It's very dark out there—you'll have a job to see anything.
Check pronunciation:
difficult