difficult

A1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ UK /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ See IPA manual

Freq #898

Meanings

1

adj
Not easy; needing a lot of effort or skill to do or understand.

This physics equation is difficult to solve.
2

adj
Hard to deal with; not cooperative or pleasant.

Stop being difficult and eat your vegetables.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not easy; needing a lot of... hard

2 adj · hard to deal with; not... unmanageable

More arduous burdensome challenging cumbersome effortful nasty rocky rough thistly tough uneath

Opposites

easy

Word family

Forms difficultly

Derived forms difficultatedifficultlydifficultnesssuperdifficulttrifficultundifficult

Related forms awkward backbreaking cumbersome heavy problematic test

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

difficult question
a question that is hard to answer

Adjective + noun
difficult situation
a situation that is hard to deal with or resolve

Adjective + noun
difficult decision
a choice that is hard to make

Adjective + noun
immensely difficult
Hard to accomplish or understand to a very great degree.

Adverb + adjective
insuperably difficult
so hard that the obstacle appears impossible to overcome

Adverb + adjective

Proverbs (1)

See all

Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy

Etymology

From Middle English difficult (ca. 1400), a back-formation from difficulte (whence modern difficulty), from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile. Replaced native Middle English earveþ (“difficult, hard”), from Old English earfoþe (“difficult, laborious, full of hardship”), cognate to German Arbeit (“work”). The verb is from the adjective, partly after Middle French difficulter and its etymon Latin difficultō. Compare difficilitate, difficultate, and Italian difficoltare.

difficult Middle English difficulter Middle French difficultō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# difficult

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/
**Frequency rank:** 898

## Meanings
1. Not easy; needing a lot of effort or skill to do or understand.
2. Hard to deal with; not cooperative or pleasant.

## Examples
- This physics equation is difficult to solve.
- Stop being difficult and eat your vegetables.

## Synonyms
- arduous
- burdensome
- challenging
- cumbersome
- effortful
- hard
- nasty
- rocky
- rough
- thistly
- tough
- uneath

## Antonyms
- easy

## Derived Forms
- difficultate
- difficultly
- difficultness
- superdifficult
- trifficult
- undifficult

## Related Forms
- awkward
- backbreaking
- cumbersome
- heavy
- problematic
- test

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: difficult
- Root: difficulter
- Root: difficultō

## Etymology
From Middle English difficult (ca. 1400), a back-formation from difficulte (whence modern difficulty), from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile. Replaced native Middle English earveþ (“difficult, hard”), from Old English earfoþe (“difficult, laborious, full of hardship”), cognate to German Arbeit (“work”). The verb is from the adjective, partly after Middle French difficulter and its etymon Latin difficultō. Compare difficilitate, difficultate, and Italian difficoltare.

## AI Etymology
difficult comes from Middle English difficult (ca. 1400), a back-formation from difficulte (whence modern difficulty), from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile. Replaced native Middle English earveþ (“difficult, hard”), from Old English earfoþe (“difficult, laborious, full of hardship”), cognate to German Arbeit (“work”). The verb is from the adjective, partly after Middle French difficulter and its etymon Latin difficultō. Compare difficilitate, difficultate, and Italian difficoltare. Current senses include Not easy; needing a lot of effort or skill to do or understand and Hard to deal with; not cooperative or pleasant. English relatives and later formations include difficultate, difficultly, difficultness, awkward, backbreaking.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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