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. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos:

   That was a difficult moment.

2. Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri:

   I have felt a lot of emotion. People are waiting for us on the street and the supermarket and at the training ground. They say' thank you for what you are doing', it's not difficult to understand this. It's easy to understand. For the first time in their life the people can win the title, the Premier League. It's unbelievable. It's history and we know this.

3. Jo Seong-jin:

   I apologize from the bottom of my heart once again to have unintentionally caused such trouble at a time of difficult economic conditions.

4. Winner Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton:

   I recall very well being on a debate stage, I think, about 25 times with then Senator Obama, debating this very issue. After the election, he asked me to become secretary of state. He valued my judgment, and I spent a lot of time with him in the Situation Room, going over some very difficult issues.

5. James Cheevers:

   Most of them... find it very difficult while they are there to accept the place, to be accustomed to it and be happy.

Images & Illustrations of difficult

Popularity rank by frequency of use