# difficult

/ˈdɪfəkəɫt/ (US) · /dˈɪfɪkəlt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/difficult
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. hard to please

adjective · CEFR B1

describing a person who is not helpful or is hard to satisfy.

For teachers: characterised by a lack of cooperation or a tendency to be demanding and troublesome.

- The customer was very difficult and complained about every small detail.
- The director gained a reputation for being difficult to work with due to his uncompromising nature and frequent last-minute changes to the script.

## Examples

- The math homework is very difficult today.
- Finding a parking space in the city center is often difficult during the morning rush hour.
- The negotiator faced a difficult choice between accepting a flawed peace treaty or continuing a conflict that had already exhausted the nation's resources.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.