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

Princeton's WordNet(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. difficult, hard(adj)

   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?"

2. unmanageable, difficult(adj)

   hard to control

   "a difficult child", "an unmanageable situation"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. difficult(Adjective)

   hard, not easy, requiring much effort

   Etymology: From difficulty, from difficultee, from difficulté, from difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis, from dis- + facilis; see difficile.

2. difficult(Adjective)

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

   Etymology: From difficulty, from difficultee, from difficulté, from difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis, from dis- + facilis; see difficile.

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Difficult(adj)

   hard to do or to make; beset with difficulty; attended with labor, trouble, or pains; not easy; arduous

2. Difficult(adj)

   hard to manage or to please; not easily wrought upon; austere; stubborn; as, a difficult person

3. Difficult(verb)

   to render difficult; to impede; to perplex

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Difficult

   dif′i-kult, adj. not easy: hard to be done: requiring labour and pains: hard to please: not easily persuaded.—adv. Diff′icultly.—n. Diff′iculty, laboriousness: obstacle: objection: that which cannot be easily understood or believed: embarrassment of affairs: a quarrel. [The adj. was formed from difficulty, in place of the old form difficile. Fr. difficulté—L. difficultas = difficilitas—difficilis—dif (= dis), neg., and facilis, easy.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'difficult' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #425

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'difficult' in Written Corpus Frequency: #457

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'difficult' in Adjectives Frequency: #44

How to pronounce difficult?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say difficult in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of difficult in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of difficult in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of difficult in a Sentence

1. Andreas Sandin:

   The combination of these various emergencies has, understandably, made it difficult for families to cope, with the cumulative effect being that even small-scale hazards now have the potential to be disastrous, the humanitarian situation in Burundi is at a critical stage, and we need to step up our response to meet the needs of affected families.

2. Abdul Baseer Nomand:

   Today is the first day. Let's see what they have for us, if the weather is hot, it's very difficult for everyone because they will be thirsty. The problem is that here the environment is not suitable for proper living.

3. Chief Executive Ilkka Paananen:

   Our goal is to do games that people could play for years, it is extremely difficult to come up with new games.

4. The FBI:

   The scammer threatens to reveal the information to the recipient’s spouse, family and friends, and demands payment in exchange for secrecy. In an effort to avoid detection, the scammer often insists on being paid in bitcoin, a virtual currency that is legitimate but difficult to track.

5. Christine Wade:

   I think that the deeply entrenched, established powers that be in Guatemala are absolutely terrified of a candidate like Thelma, she has a proven record as attorney general of jailing former presidents and vice presidents. ... And its really difficult to see this constitutional court decision as anything other than politically motivated.

Images & Illustrations of difficult

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