1
as in challenging
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
difficult questions on the exam that required analytical thinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of difficult
Controlling cavitation precisely inside the human body (without damaging nearby tissue) will be very difficult.
—
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
Finding a reliable YouTube livestream is difficult.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Medical records provided for review by his sister, Maria Healey, show that the 38-year-old man, who was working two jobs, had type 2 diabetes, which contributed to the infection, causing a difficult recovery.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Hoffman did however wonder about the decision to animate some of the more difficult-to-interpret parts of the Bible, like the Book of Revelation, and the story of the Nephilim in the Old Testament.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
Finding a reliable YouTube livestream is difficult.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Medical records provided for review by his sister, Maria Healey, show that the 38-year-old man, who was working two jobs, had type 2 diabetes, which contributed to the infection, causing a difficult recovery.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Hoffman did however wonder about the decision to animate some of the more difficult-to-interpret parts of the Bible, like the Book of Revelation, and the story of the Nephilim in the Old Testament.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for difficult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for difficult
Adjective
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To be sure, the last few years have been more challenging, with Gucci rapidly losing momentum — and Kering’s debt load swelling after an acquisition spree that included Creed, Maui Jim, a 30 percent stake in Valentino, and large chunks of prime real estate.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, gig engineering is becoming an attractive but challenging path.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That’s a tough dichotomy to bridge, but the new 2025 911 Carrera GTS achieves it brilliantly.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
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The tough stainless steel loops are reinforced and designed to remain rust-free even after years of use, and a three number combination lock will be easy to remember and difficult to crack.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One of the most important goals is creating a society where everyone can have the ability to succeed through education, hard work, and entrepreneurship.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Developed by AeroVironment, the 20kW LOCUST Laser Weapon System (LWS) identifies, tracks, and engages a wide variety of targets with hard-kill high energy laser.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bella, now three and a half years old, was described by Overbye as calm, sensitive, quiet, smart, and playful.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Prevent this by grounding AI in your documents and adding human review for sensitive content.—
Louis Mosca,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The 2025 World Beer Awards, known for their rigorous blind tastings, crowned Germany's Wolf Gang, a surprising black IPA from zum WØL BrauArt, as the top IPA.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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The study reports that all test results, including algorithm design, simulations, and flight data, underwent rigorous validation.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Paul, the perennially viral, soft-swinging, sometimes problematic yet incredibly watchable mommy influencer turned reality star via Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is the next sweetheart looking for love on ABC’s 20-year-old dating show.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
10 Sep. 2025
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This limit is problematic for those with wealth but low income in a particular year.—
Nathan Goldman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Bassini has observed the circuit of influencers and hopefuls who try a more demanding don’t-you-know-who-I-am approach, only to see them get turned away unceremoniously each time.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, six Black women have journeyed to outer space as astronauts, a job that is equally demanding and risky and for which the odds of being selected are very low.—
Gena Cox,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, this Jaguars pass rush is formidable; Josh Hines-Allen is no joke.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
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With the Chiefs appearing more vulnerable in a season coming off a Super Bowl trouncing, Buffalo—which opens its 2025 campaign Sunday night at home against another formidable foe, the Baltimore Ravens—is poised for a breakthrough.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Difficult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/difficult. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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