1
as in challenging
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
difficult questions on the exam that required analytical thinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tough
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
it's a difficult situation when two of your friends are quarreling and you're trying to stay out of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
a difficult task
a difficult time
a difficult subject
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of difficult
Those rugs, however, can be difficult to clean due to dirt and debris getting stuck and embedding into the fibers.
—
Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2025
The longer-term outlook for Apple looks increasingly difficult to navigate, according to Bank of America.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
The transition can be extremely difficult for some.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Third, operational command of Kamikaze planes is difficult because results cannot be evaluated with any accuracy.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2025
The longer-term outlook for Apple looks increasingly difficult to navigate, according to Bank of America.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
The transition can be extremely difficult for some.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Third, operational command of Kamikaze planes is difficult because results cannot be evaluated with any accuracy.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficult
Adjective
-
The game is essentially 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball, offering a challenging experience that, while not entirely reflective of actual wheelchair basketball, provides a unique gameplay twist.—
Eammonn Dignam,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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But as the birds got more comfortable with the task at hand, the team made the experiment increasingly challenging.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Over the next two years, Muhammad rang up five more victories against progressively tougher competition.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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The new legislation would also apply tougher scrutiny to the process of acquiring a conflict of interest waiver for this kind of work.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
Historically, he's been sensitive to them, but his focus seems more on pushing his agenda than chasing approval numbers.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
-
If the plant is especially sensitive to sitting in water, raise it up by setting a small plank or block underneath.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products.—
Keagan Ostop,
CNBC,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Biking is smooth and the frame is sturdy, heavy and durable enough to handle rigorous cycling.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For years, Chicago Public School officials would send dozens of names of problematic employees to monthly board meetings for their dismissals to be signed off on.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Simon Callow is a new addition as a problematic billionaire funding Metropolitan Ballet Theater, as is David Haig, who plays its ailing artistic director.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In the last two decades, the number of hospitals and diagnostic centers has already increased sixfold, and there’s room for many more, particularly those that value quality, which patients are increasingly demanding and becoming aware of.—
Sylvana Quader Sinha,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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In making such a claim, Bonhoeffer moved the aim of conscience away from obedience to rational principles and to the more demanding and concrete love for God and one’s living, breathing, suffering neighbor.—
David DeCosse,
Mercury News,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Wang has $106,000 in independent support, the majority of it from Empower Oakland, a nonprofit co-founded by mayoral candidate Loren Taylor that has emerged as a formidable funding arm in the city’s politics.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2025
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Cornyn is considered a formidable fundraiser; he’s brought in more than $415 million during his time in the Senate.—
Julia Manchester,
The Hill,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Difficult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficult. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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