1
as in challenging
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
difficult questions on the exam that required analytical thinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
a difficult task
a difficult time
a difficult subject
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of difficult
Ullmann is the daughter of the late Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and the Norwegian actor Liv Ullmann, and specifics of her childhood are not difficult to locate.
—
Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
Weiland and Oswald defended the arrest by saying that assessing flight risk in real time can be difficult.
—Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Our models and expertise can sniff out the broad parameters, but the precise location and timing of moisture plumes, training (quasi-stationary rain cells), and forcing mechanism can be difficult.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
James is playing the final year of his contract at $52.6 million, which is a very difficult number for teams to pay.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
Weiland and Oswald defended the arrest by saying that assessing flight risk in real time can be difficult.
—Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Our models and expertise can sniff out the broad parameters, but the precise location and timing of moisture plumes, training (quasi-stationary rain cells), and forcing mechanism can be difficult.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
James is playing the final year of his contract at $52.6 million, which is a very difficult number for teams to pay.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficult
Adjective
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Points available at the stage’s finish vary based on a coefficient of difficulty: the more challenging the stage, the fewer points available.—
Sophie Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Besides the challenging business climate in Chicago, President Donald Trump’s tariffs are contributing to rising food costs, and his immigration crackdown threatens to disrupt the food-service workforce.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The tougher policy changes are adding to the minors’ trauma, advocates say.—
Nicol León,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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Stellantis' loss, versus a 5.6 billion euro net profit a year earlier, underscores the tough challenges for new CEO Antonio Filosa, who was appointed in May after a disastrous performance in the company's crucial U.S. market in 2024 forced the ouster of former boss Carlos Tavares.—
Giulio Piovaccari,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
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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In Cisco’s 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark, 64% of global respondents worry about inadvertently exposing sensitive information through AI tools, even as nearly half admit to feeding personal data into them.—
Boris Dzhingarov,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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And new privacy legislation in Senate Bill 1295 requires collectors of sensitive data to notify consumers if their personal data is being used to train large language models.—
Angela Eichhorst,
Hartford Courant,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Ozzy Osbourne shared 3 children with first wife Thelma Riley The father of six children over two marriages, Osbourne has been vocal about how rigorous touring and alcohol use affected his family life.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
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The 22-year-old flew to the United States and went through the DCC’s rigorous tryouts, eventually becoming one of six new rookies to join the 36-member squad, out of thousands who auditioned.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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True resource guarding is a serious issue that often involves strong warning signals from the dog—and can be problematic if left unaddressed.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
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These are problematic, to say the least, as an exploit of the same could lead to the possibility of arbitrary code execution within the browser.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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In the more demanding Steel Nomad benchmark, the Dell 16 Plus trailed both the Acer Swift 16 AI and LG Gram Pro.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
17 July 2025
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Montague also points out that only six Skyview suites exist across the entire 822-guest ship, creating the kind of scarcity that discerning travelers are increasingly demanding.—
Alexis Benveniste,
Robb Report,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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The Cubs were always going to be a far more formidable opponent than the Nationals and Rockies, against whom the Red Sox collected the first six of their 10-game win streak before the All-Star break.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 July 2025
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Meanwhile, the men will be going up against the English juggernaut — a formidable opponent even if some of their star players are currently touring with the British and Irish Lions.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Difficult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficult. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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