1
as in challenging
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
difficult questions on the exam that required analytical thinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Try This InsteadFor
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a difficult task
a difficult time
a difficult subject
Examples of difficult in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
Comparing hurricane seasons over time in terms of costs can be difficult.
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Dense breasts have more tissue and less fat, which makes reading mammograms more difficult as tissue and possible tumors both appear white in results, according to the American Cancer Society.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Finding an accessible live class in an unfamiliar city will be exceedingly difficult.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
Leah Abbasi, one of his attorneys, spoke about the difficult upbringing Ryan had.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for difficult 
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Dense breasts have more tissue and less fat, which makes reading mammograms more difficult as tissue and possible tumors both appear white in results, according to the American Cancer Society.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Finding an accessible live class in an unfamiliar city will be exceedingly difficult.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
Leah Abbasi, one of his attorneys, spoke about the difficult upbringing Ryan had.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for difficult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficult
Adjective
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Finding Daryl should have been incredibly challenging!Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
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Eating in space can be particularly challenging, but also entertaining.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The course reversal with the closure of the Los Angeles office followed a review of the Sister board that examined the tough market conditions that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, double Hollywood strikes and the ongoing industry contraction.Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
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The intrigue: In a sign of the tough work that delegates, nonprofit organizations and others have ahead of them in Cali and beyond, CTrees found that an average of 26,641 square miles of tropical forest are being degraded per year.Andrew Freedman, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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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
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That’s because the skin inside your nostrils (known as mucosal skin) is super thin and sensitive, Dr. Shokeen explains.Jenna Ryu, SELF, 1 Nov. 2024
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The latter two numbers are known to be quite sensitive to the business cycle.Harry Holzer, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Its requirements are rigorous but straightforward, focusing on global or national recognition of an individual’s talent or accomplishments.Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
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The complexity of cannabinoid pharmacology necessitates rigorous research to establish effective dosing, safety profiles and potential interactions with other medications.Calvin Rasode, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The series, which emerged as a breakaway hit with season one in 2022, features a cast of college students who make problematic choices one after the next, in a squirming but can’t stop watching manner.Leigh Nordstrom, WWD, 28 Oct. 2024
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Getting Remake From Hollywood & Italian Industry Vets Nicholas Hoult stars as Justin Kemp, a regional magazine writer and dedicated family man married to Allison (Zoey Deutch), who is nearing the end of a problematic pregnancy and needs her husband close by when he is summoned to jury duty.Pete Hammond, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Job stress, long work hours and poor diets are growing high-risk factors in the cities, while in rural areas, agriculture work is becoming less physically demanding and inadequate health care is leading to poor screening and treatment of weight problems, doctors and academics say.Reuters, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
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Balancing motherhood with a demanding professional life requires time management and incredible emotional strength.Jack McCullough, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Accompanied by a versatile backing band of no less than 30 musicians, Wonder — clad in demin and a black Detroit Tigers cap — soared through his extensive repertoire, showing off his formidable abilities as a musician as well as his love for his audience.Caryn Rose, Variety, 23 Oct. 2024
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An underlying theme of those lawsuits has been that Combs, who already has a troubled history with abuse allegations, did not act alone and was enabled by a network of people in his formidable empire.Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near difficult
Cite this Entry
“Difficult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficult. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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