difficult
adjective
dif·fi·cult
ˈdi-fi-(ˌ)kəlt 
1
: hard to do, make, or carry out : arduous
a difficult climb
2
a
: hard to deal with, manage, or overcome
a difficult child
having a difficult time coping with her death
b
: hard to understand : puzzling
difficult reading
found calculus too difficult
difficultly
adverb
Examples of difficult in a Sentence
We were asked lots of difficult questions.
I had to make a very difficult decision.
We'll be hiking over difficult terrain.
It's more difficult than it sounds.
I found myself in a difficult position.
Some difficult days lie ahead of us.
These changes will make life difficult for everyone involved.
Recent Examples on the Web
Two of Elissa’s tumors were obliterated that day, but the third was too difficult to reach without repositioning Elissa’s body in a way that would have taken too much time under anesthesia.
—
Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
Luca Solca sector head for global luxury goods at Bernstein
Clouding the picture further, many other premium Swiss watchmakers including Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, are privately owned, making their performance difficult to decipher.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 18 May 2025
As overtaking is so difficult at Imola, starting 11th and 12th isn’t ideal — particularly in front of the Tifosi that had helped filled the stands to record-breaking numbers.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Proving such social behaviors is extraordinarily difficult without a large amount of data.
—Jay Kakade
may 18, New Atlas, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
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Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
Luca Solca sector head for global luxury goods at Bernstein
Clouding the picture further, many other premium Swiss watchmakers including Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, are privately owned, making their performance difficult to decipher.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 18 May 2025
As overtaking is so difficult at Imola, starting 11th and 12th isn’t ideal — particularly in front of the Tifosi that had helped filled the stands to record-breaking numbers.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Proving such social behaviors is extraordinarily difficult without a large amount of data.
—Jay Kakade
may 18, New Atlas, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Cite this Entry
“Difficult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/difficult. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
difficult
adjective
dif·fi·cult
ˈdif-i-(ˌ)kəlt
1
: hard to do, make, or carry out
a difficult climb
2
a
: hard to deal with, manage, or overcome
a difficult child
b
: hard to understand : puzzling
difficult reading
difficultly
adverb
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