difficult
dif·fi·cult
adjective
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
- “a difficult task”
- “nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access”
- “difficult times”
- “a difficult child”
- “found himself in a difficult situation”
- “why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?”
Origin
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.
Phrases
- difficult nut to crack
- difficult pill to swallow
- difficult situation
- get blood from a stone
- get blood out of a stone
- nail Jell-O to a tree
- pull teeth
Related words
Word family
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.