difficult
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From difficulty < Middle English difficultee < Old French difficulte < Latin difficultas < difficul, older form of difficilis (“‘hard to do, difficult’”) < dis- + facilis (“‘easy’”); see difficile.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈdɪfɪkʊlt/
- Audio (US)help, file
[edit] Adjective
difficult (comparative more difficult, superlative most difficult)
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Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
[edit] Usage notes
Difficult implies the notion that considerable mental effort or skill is required, or that obstacles are to be overcome which call for sagacity and skill in the agent; as, a difficult task; hard work is not always difficult work; a difficult operation in surgery; a difficult passage in an author.
[edit] Synonyms
- burdensome, cumbersome, hard
- See also Wikisaurus:difficult
[edit] Translations
hard, not easy
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[edit] External links
- difficult in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- difficult in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

