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To try to raise a son from inside the prison walls is a very difficult thing. But I want to say to the world my son at 16 was the one who tried the most to get me out of prison.
Jim Bakker

Meaning of "difficult" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD DIFFICULT

Back formation from difficulty.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF DIFFICULT

difficult  [ˈdɪfɪkəlt] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DIFFICULT

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Difficult is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES DIFFICULT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of difficult in the English dictionary

The first definition of difficult in the dictionary is not easy to do; requiring effort. Other definition of difficult is not easy to understand or solve; intricate. Difficult is also hard to deal with; troublesome.


WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE DIFFICULT

differential pricing
differential tone
differential windlass
differentially
differentiate
differentiation
differentiator
differently
differentness
difficile
difficulties
difficultly
difficulty
diffidence
diffident
diffidently
diffluent
difform
difformity
diffract

WORDS THAT END LIKE DIFFICULT

anticult
cargo cult
cult
doomsday cult
fertility cult
incult
mass cult
midcult
occult
personality cult
subcult

Synonyms and antonyms of difficult in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «DIFFICULT»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «difficult» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of difficult

Translation of «difficult» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF DIFFICULT

Find out the translation of difficult to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of difficult from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «difficult» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

困难的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

difícil
570 millions of speakers

English

difficult
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

मुश्किल
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

صَعْب
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

трудный
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

difícil
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কঠিন
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

difficile
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

sukar
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

schwierig
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

困難な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

어려운
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Angel
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

khó khăn
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கடினமான
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अवघड
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

zor
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

difficile
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

trudny
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

важкий
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

dificil
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δύσκολος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

moeilik
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

svår
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

vanskelig
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of difficult

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «DIFFICULT»

The term «difficult» is very widely used and occupies the 3.077 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
98
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «difficult» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of difficult
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «difficult».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «DIFFICULT» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «difficult» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «difficult» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about difficult

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «DIFFICULT»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word difficult.
1
George Allen, Sr.
One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.
2
Jim Bakker
To try to raise a son from inside the prison walls is a very difficult thing. But I want to say to the world my son at 16 was the one who tried the most to get me out of prison.
3
Alison Bechdel
Even drawing gray hair at all is difficult to render in black and white.
4
David Benioff
Every adaptation requires that the screenwriter make difficult choices - and in particular, difficult cuts.
5
Gael Garcia Bernal
In Mexico, theater is very underground, so if you're a theater actor it's very difficult to make a living. But it's also a very beautiful pathway to knowledge and to an open education.
6
Cilla Black
The best advice he gave me was to carry on. It would have been difficult to set foot back inside a TV studio if I hadn't carried on - I don't know if I would have ever gone back in.
7
Javier Camara
Sometimes, rehearsals are not worth it if you do not have an accurate cast, and that is one of the most difficult parts about a film.
8
Geoffrey Canada
At a school in Massachusetts where I once worked, we managed early on through consensus. Which sounds wonderful, but it was just a very, very difficult way to sort of manage anything, because convincing everybody to do one particular thing, especially if it was hard, was almost impossible.
9
Andrew Carnegie
I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution.
10
Eric Clapton
I just managed to convince my grandmother that it was a worth while that was something to do, you know, and when I did finally get the guitar, it didn't seem that difficult to me, to be able to make a good noise out of it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DIFFICULT»

Discover the use of difficult in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to difficult and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
The 10th-anniversary edition of the New York Times business bestseller-now updated with "Answers to Ten Questions People Ask" We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, ...
Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, 2010
2
Difficult Mothers: Understanding and Overcoming Their Power
In the end this book celebrates the great resilience of sons and daughters of difficult mothers as well as acknowledging their special challenges.
Terri Apter, 2012
3
500 Letters for Difficult Situations: Easy-to-Use Templates ...
Inside, you'll find letters to guide you through the most challenging communications, including how to: Express sympathy for the bereaved Explain why a relationship isn't working Offer condolences for those who are going through a divorce ...
Corey Sandler, 2010
4
Just Being Difficult?: Academic Writing in the Public Arena
This collection is a much-needed contribution to the discussion. "This collection is a remarkable and rational contribution to a passionate contemporary debate. Is academic writing unjustifiably obscure?
Jonathan D. Culler, Kevin Lamb, 2003
5
Dealing with Difficult People
Moaners, fault finders, manipulators - these are just a few examples of the difficult people we put up with at work.
Roy Lilley, 2013
6
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Drawn from traditional Buddhist wisdom, Pema Chodrons radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives goes against the grain of our usual habits and ex pectations.--from back cover.
Pema Chödrön, 2005
7
The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words
Presents phonetic transcriptions and definitions for thousands of words that are difficult to spell, define, or pronounce.
Archie Hobson, 2004
8
Working with Difficult People
Packed with new, updated information, this is an indispensable guide for dealing with the most difficult people in the workplace.
Michael S. DOBSON, William LUNDIN, 2008
9
A Difficult Day
When everything seems like it is going wrong for Melinda, she finds that things get better with a special touch from her mother.
Eugenie Fernandes, 1987
10
The World's Most Difficult Maze
One 28-page maze with holes that permit passage from page to page.
Dave Phillips, 1980

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DIFFICULT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term difficult is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Scale of planned wind farm in Meath 'difficult to comprehend'
It is difficult to comprehend the scale of a wind farm proposed for north Co Meath and the project would result in the “sterilisation” of other ... «Irish Times, Jul 15»
2
Yoga looks difficult, says Putin - The Hindu
Yoga looks difficult, says Putin ... When you people do it, it looks difficult. ... the latter said the ancient Indian spiritual practice “looks difficult” and ... «The Hindu, Jul 15»
3
Chris Brown: It's 'difficult to love' - Times LIVE
Chris Brown thinks it's ''difficult to love''. The 'Loyal' hitmaker posted a cryptic message on his Instagram account, with speculation suggesting ... «Times LIVE, Jul 15»
4
A time for difficult decisions in Greece - Macleans.ca
Greece was living an unrealistic fantasy masquerading as a modern economy. Now it's time for Greek voters to make some difficult decisions. «Macleans.ca, Jul 15»
5
BUDGET DAY: South Yorkshire NHS staff and services still in for …
A union chief has said that staff and services in South Yorkshire are still in for a 'difficult time' despite the NHS being promised an extra £8bn. «The Star, Jul 15»
6
Why is renewing a child's passport so difficult? - Telegraph
Crammed into the instant photo booth in Tesco with our 10-year-old daughter, Phoebe, we ensured that her face was within the marked oval ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
7
Barclays chief executive Anthony Jenkins sacked after 'incredibly …
Barclays has fired its boss Antony Jenkins after three 'incredibly difficult' years at the helm of the bank. He was drafted in after Britain's banks ... «Mirror.co.uk, Jul 15»
8
Is It Getting Easier or More Difficult to Fly a Fighter Jet? | Quora
First, from one point of view, it's getting harder to fly fighter jets because there are fewer around and the requirements to even climb in to one ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
9
20 Ways to Cope With Difficult Situations | Lauren Stahl
Do you cope with the more difficult situations from a place of fear? Or from a place of love? With fear, this coping can be destructive. It can be in ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
10
Repatriating soldiers' bodies from Gaza is a 'difficult mission'
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that getting their bodies will be "difficult" and "full of hardships." Israel, he added, has "an aggressive enemy, ... «Middle East Monitor, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Difficult [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/difficult>. Apr 2024 ».
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