difficult

adjective

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/

Idioms

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not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand
- The competition judges were given a very difficult task.
- a difficult decision/question
- difficult for somebody Asking for help is extremely difficult for some people.
- it is difficult to do something It's really difficult to read your writing.
- something is difficult to do Your writing is really difficult to read.
- It is difficult to imagine a woman in the 1950s behaving like this.
- She finds it very difficult to get up early.
- it is difficult for somebody to do something It's difficult for them to get here much before seven.
- It has become increasingly difficult for young people to buy a house.
Synonyms difficult
difficult
- hard
- challenging
- demanding
- taxing
These words all describe something that is not easy and requires a lot of effort or skill to do.
- difficult not easy; needing effort or skill to do or understand:
  The exam questions were quite difficult.
  It is difficult for young people to find jobs around here.
- hard not easy; needing effort or skill to do or understand:
  I always found languages quite hard at school.
  It was one of the hardest things I ever did.
difficult or hard?Hard is slightly less formal than difficult. It is used particularly in the structure hard to believe/say/find/take, etc., although difficult can also be used in any of these examples.
- challenging (approving) difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability.
- demanding difficult to do or deal with and needing a lot of effort, skill, etc.:
  It is a technically demanding piece of music to play.
- taxing (often used in negative statements) difficult to do and needing a lot of mental or physical effort:
  This shouldn’t be too taxing for you.
Patterns
- difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing for somebody
- difficult/hard to do something
- physically difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing
- technically difficult/challenging/demanding
- mentally/intellectually challenging/demanding/taxing
Extra Examples
- It is getting more and more difficult to find a job.
- The fog made driving very difficult.
- He finds French pronunciation quite difficult.
- Finding an acceptable solution proved more difficult.
- I was given the difficult task of informing the girl's parents of her disappearance.
- Senior lawyers handle the most difficult cases.
- She is confronted with a difficult choice.
- The design of the building posed some difficult challenges.
- The exam questions were particularly difficult.
- We didn't realize how difficult it was going to be.
- The application process is notoriously difficult.
- It is difficult to understand who this book is aimed at.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- prove
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry
full of problems; causing a lot of trouble
- I found myself in a difficult situation.
- difficult conditions/circumstances
- I'd had a difficult time and needed a break.
- a difficult year/month
- My boss is making life very difficult for me.
- 13 is a difficult age.
Extra Examples
- They had to set up camp in extremely difficult conditions.
- His presence there put me in a very difficult position.
- The next few months were quite difficult.
- These are difficult and painful memories.
- Her childhood was incredibly difficult.
- Change is difficult for everyone.
- Her disability made taking care of the home and raising a family doubly difficult.
- What's the most difficult personal situation you've ever been in?
- There was a great deal of difficult terrain to be covered.
Topics Difficulty and failurea1, Personal qualitiesa1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- prove
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry
(of people) not easy to please; not helpful synonym awkward
- a difficult child/customer/boss
- Don't pay any attention to her—she's just being difficult.
- The singer has a difficult reputation.
Extra Examples
- Roger was always a difficult child.
- We have training in how to deal with difficult customers.
- In every workplace there's always someone you find difficult.
- Stop being so difficult.

Word Originlate Middle English: back-formation from difficulty.

Idioms

have a (hard/difficult) job doing/to do something

to have difficulty doing something
- You'll have a job convincing them that you're right.
- He had a hard job to make himself heard.
Extra Examples
- He'll have a tough job getting the team into shape in time.
- It's very dark out there, you'll have a job to see anything.
Topics Difficulty and failurec2

单词	difficult
释义	difficult adjective OPAL WOPAL S /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ Idioms jump to other results not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand The competition judges were given a very difficult task. a difficult decision/question difficult for somebody Asking for help is extremely difficult for some people. it is difficult to do something It's really difficult to read your writing. something is difficult to do Your writing is really difficult to read. It is difficult to imagine a woman in the 1950s behaving like this. She finds it very difficult to get up early. it is difficult for somebody to do something It's difficult for them to get here much before seven. It has become increasingly difficult for young people to buy a house. Synonyms difficultdifficult hard challenging demanding taxing These words all describe something that is not easy and requires a lot of effort or skill to do. difficult not easy; needing effort or skill to do or understand: The exam questions were quite difficult. It is difficult for young people to find jobs around here. hard not easy; needing effort or skill to do or understand: I always found languages quite hard at school. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. difficult or hard?Hard is slightly less formal than difficult. It is used particularly in the structure hard to believe/say/find/take, etc., although difficult can also be used in any of these examples. challenging (approving) difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability. demanding difficult to do or deal with and needing a lot of effort, skill, etc.: It is a technically demanding piece of music to play. taxing (often used in negative statements) difficult to do and needing a lot of mental or physical effort: This shouldn’t be too taxing for you. Patterns difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing for somebody difficult/hard to do something physically difficult/hard/challenging/demanding/taxing technically difficult/challenging/demanding mentally/intellectually challenging/demanding/taxing Extra Examples It is getting more and more difficult to find a job. The fog made driving very difficult. He finds French pronunciation quite difficult. Finding an acceptable solution proved more difficult. I was given the difficult task of informing the girl's parents of her disappearance. Senior lawyers handle the most difficult cases. She is confronted with a difficult choice. The design of the building posed some difficult challenges. The exam questions were particularly difficult. We didn't realize how difficult it was going to be. The application process is notoriously difficult. It is difficult to understand who this book is aimed at. Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs be look prove … adverb extremely fairly very … See full entry full of problems; causing a lot of trouble I found myself in a difficult situation. difficult conditions/circumstances I'd had a difficult time and needed a break. a difficult year/month My boss is making life very difficult for me. 13 is a difficult age. Extra Examples They had to set up camp in extremely difficult conditions. His presence there put me in a very difficult position. The next few months were quite difficult. These are difficult and painful memories. Her childhood was incredibly difficult. Change is difficult for everyone. Her disability made taking care of the home and raising a family doubly difficult. What's the most difficult personal situation you've ever been in? There was a great deal of difficult terrain to be covered. Topics Difficulty and failurea1, Personal qualitiesa1 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs be look prove … adverb extremely fairly very … See full entry (of people) not easy to please; not helpful synonym awkward a difficult child/customer/boss Don't pay any attention to her—she's just being difficult. The singer has a difficult reputation. Extra Examples Roger was always a difficult child. We have training in how to deal with difficult customers. In every workplace there's always someone you find difficult. Stop being so difficult. Word Originlate Middle English: back-formation from difficulty. Idioms have a (hard/difficult) job doing/to do something to have difficulty doing something You'll have a job convincing them that you're right. He had a hard job to make himself heard. Extra Examples He'll have a tough job getting the team into shape in time. It's very dark out there, you'll have a job to see anything. Topics Difficulty and failurec2
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