Word
difficult
Phoneticsdif·fi·cult, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈdɪfəkəɫt/
UK/dˈɪfɪkəlt/
Definitions
01hard to do
A1 · Beginner
adj. needing a lot of effort, skill, or work to do or understand.
adj. requiring considerable physical or mental effort, skill, or endurance to accomplish or comprehend.
日本語:難しい※
“The math homework was so difficult that I had to ask my teacher for help.”
“The researchers faced a difficult challenge when the primary data source became unavailable halfway through the project.”
Pitfall
The exam was very difficult for me to pass it.
The exam was very difficult for me to pass.
When using 'difficult' with an infinitive, do not repeat the object at the end of the sentence.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02hard to please or manage
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. describing a person who is not helpful or is hard to satisfy.
adj. referring to a person who is uncooperative, troublesome, or intentionally hard to please.
日本語:気難しい※
“My boss is very difficult and often changes his mind at the last minute.”
“The director gained a reputation for being difficult on set, frequently demanding dozens of retakes for even the simplest scenes.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “difficult” in context.
Real-World Examples
“Agatha Christie wrote the intricately plotted novel And Then There Were None because, she later explained, she wanted to attempt something really hard: “I had written this book because it was so difficult to do that the idea had fascinated me.” “The problem is that measuring such expectations is notoriously difficult.” “Profits at Dyson nearly halved during a “difficult” year in which the home appliances business, founded by the billionaire Sir James Dyson, cut more than a quarter of its UK workforce.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/difficult
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0