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| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Origin: | difficulty |
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dif‧fi‧cult S1 W1
1 hard to do, understand, or deal with [≠ easy]: a difficult question an immensely difficult task Was the exam very difficult?
a difficult questionan immensely difficult taskWas the exam very difficult?2 involving a lot of problems and causing a lot of trouble or worry : a difficult situation Things are a bit difficult at home at the moment. There could be difficult times ahead.
a difficult situationThings are a bit difficult at home at the moment.There could be difficult times ahead. make life/things difficult for somebody (=cause problems for someone) She's doing everything she can to make life difficult for him.
She's doing everything she can to make life difficult for him.3 someone who is difficult never seems pleased or satisfied [= awkward]: Don't be so difficult! a difficult customer
Don't be so difficult!a difficult customerWORD FOCUS: difficult WORD FOCUS: difficult
difficult to do: hard, tough, challenging, daunting
difficult and needing a lot of physical effort: tough, strenuous, back-breaking, gruelling, arduous, punishing
difficult to deal with or talk about: tricky, awkward, delicate, sensitive, touchy
words for describing a difficult person: awkward, trying
words for describing difficult conditions: adverse, hostile
WORD FOCUS: difficult difficult to do: hard, tough, challenging, daunting
difficult and needing a lot of physical effort: tough, strenuous, back-breaking, gruelling, arduous, punishing
difficult to deal with or talk about: tricky, awkward, delicate, sensitive, touchy
words for describing a difficult person: awkward, trying
words for describing difficult conditions: adverse, hostile
