Difficult — Dif fi*cult, a. [From {Difficulty}.] 1. Hard to do or to make; beset with difficulty; attended with labor, trouble, or pains; not easy; arduous. [1913 Webster] Note: Difficult implies the notion that considerable mental effort or skill is… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
difficult — I adjective arduous, attended by obstacles, awkward, beset with difficulty, beyond one s reach, bothersome, burdensome, complex, complicated, convoluted, difficile, difficilis, encompassed with difficulties, enigmatic, entangled by difficulties,… … Law dictionary
Difficult — Dif fi*cult, v. t. To render difficult; to impede; to perplex. [R.] Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
difficult — c.1400, apparently a back formation from DIFFICULTY (Cf. difficulty). French has difficile, Latin difficilis. Of persons, hard to please, from 1580s … Etymology dictionary
difficult — dif|fi|cult W1S1 [ˈdıfıkəlt] adj [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: difficulty] 1.) hard to do, understand, or deal with ≠ ↑easy ▪ a difficult question ▪ an immensely difficult task ▪ Was the exam very difficult? ▪ It s difficult to see how more savings… … Dictionary of contemporary English
difficult — dif|fi|cult [ dıfıkəlt ] adjective *** 1. ) not easy to do, deal with, or understand: HARD: Choosing the winner was a difficult task. The exam questions were too difficult. difficult to do something: It s difficult to say what time I will get… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
difficult — adj. 1) difficult for (typing is difficult for me) 2) difficult to + inf. (it is difficult to please him = he is difficult to please = he is a difficult person to please; it is difficult to translate this book = this book is difficult to… … Combinatory dictionary
difficult — / dIfIkFlt/ adjective 1 very hard to do, understand, or deal with; not easy: Was the exam very difficult? | a difficult job | difficult to do: She finds it difficult to climb stairs. 2 someone who is difficult never seems pleased or satisfied:… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
difficult — [[t]dɪ̱fɪkəlt[/t]] ♦ 1) ADJ GRADED: oft it v link ADJ to inf, it v link ADJ ing Something that is difficult is not easy to do, understand, or deal with. Hobart found it difficult to get her first book published... The lack of childcare provisions … English dictionary
difficult — difficultly, adv. /dif i kult , keuhlt/, adj. 1. not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard: a difficult job. 2. hard to understand or solve: a difficult problem. 3. hard to deal with… … Universalium
difficult — adj. VERBS ▪ be, look, prove, remain, seem, sound ▪ become, get ▪ It is getting more and more difficult to find … Collocations dictionary