difficult

The word “difficult” means hard to do; requiring a lot of effort, skill, or thought. In plain terms, not easy — either a hard task, or a hard person to get along with.

“Difficult” is pronounced DIH-fih-kuhlt (/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ in IPA).

Here is “difficult” used in a sentence: “The exam was more difficult than she expected.”

Words with a similar meaning to “difficult” include burdensome, cumbersome, hard, arduous, challenging and nasty.

The opposite of “difficult” — its antonyms — is easy.

“Difficult” is an adjective.

The word “difficult” comes from Latin. A back-formation from difficulty, ultimately from Latin difficilis, "hard to do" — from dis- plus facilis, "easy.".

“Difficult” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

In the sense of not being easy, difficult and hard are close synonyms and usually interchangeable. 'Hard' is more informal and has extra meanings, such as firm or solid, while 'difficult' only ever means requiring effort or skill. A rock is hard, but never difficult.

The most common opposites are 'easy' and 'simple', describing something that takes little effort, skill, or thought. Depending on context you might also use 'straightforward', 'effortless', or 'manageable'. The right choice depends on whether you mean easy to do, easy to understand, or easy to handle.

Yes. When applied to people, difficult means hard to deal with, please, or reason with, often because they are stubborn or uncooperative. A 'difficult customer' is demanding and easily dissatisfied. This differs from a task being difficult; here the challenge lies in the person's behaviour.

Generally yes, since it signals that something requires struggle or causes trouble. However, it is not always negative: a 'difficult but rewarding' challenge can be desirable, and describing work as difficult can acknowledge genuine skill. Tone and context decide whether it discourages or simply informs.