[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":181},["ShallowReactive",2],{"w-difficult":3},{"word":4,"pos":5,"definition":6,"senses":7,"antonyms":162,"tip":170,"faq":171},"difficult","adjective","Not easy to do, understand, deal with, or endure.",[8,55,93,127],{"label":9,"pos":5,"gloss":10,"synonyms":11},"hard to do","requiring effort or skill",[12,21,27,33,39,45,50],{"w":13,"intensity":14,"formality":14,"contexts":15,"nuance":19,"example":20},"challenging",3,[16,17,18],"academic","business","casual","slightly more positive; emphasizes worthwhile effort","The project was challenging but rewarding.",{"w":22,"intensity":14,"formality":23,"contexts":24,"nuance":25,"example":26},"tough",2,[17,18],"more informal and practical sounding","It was a tough job, but she finished it.",{"w":28,"intensity":14,"formality":29,"contexts":30,"nuance":31,"example":32},"hard",1,[18],"plain, everyday equivalent","This math problem is hard.",{"w":34,"intensity":35,"formality":14,"contexts":36,"nuance":37,"example":38},"demanding",4,[16,17],"requires sustained effort or attention","The course is demanding but fair.",{"w":40,"intensity":35,"formality":35,"contexts":41,"nuance":43,"example":44},"arduous",[16,17,42],"creative","stressful because it takes a lot of effort","They made an arduous climb up the mountain.",{"w":46,"intensity":23,"formality":23,"contexts":47,"nuance":48,"example":49},"tricky",[18,17],"informally suggests hidden pitfalls","The recipe looks simple, but it is tricky.",{"w":51,"intensity":14,"formality":14,"contexts":52,"nuance":53,"example":54},"complicated",[16,17,18],"hard because of many parts or steps","The process is complicated, so read the instructions carefully.",{"label":56,"pos":5,"gloss":57,"synonyms":58},"hard to deal with","uncooperative, troublesome, or awkward",[59,64,69,74,78,83,88],{"w":60,"intensity":14,"formality":35,"contexts":61,"nuance":62,"example":63},"problematic",[16,17],"formal; suggests causing problems","The proposal is problematic for several reasons.",{"w":65,"intensity":23,"formality":23,"contexts":66,"nuance":67,"example":68},"awkward",[17,18],"socially or practically uncomfortable","It was an awkward conversation.",{"w":70,"intensity":14,"formality":14,"contexts":71,"nuance":72,"example":73},"troublesome",[16,17,18],"causes annoyance or difficulty","The software update turned out to be troublesome.",{"w":13,"intensity":14,"formality":14,"contexts":75,"nuance":76,"example":77},[16,17,18],"more diplomatic than difficult","Managing the team has been challenging.",{"w":79,"intensity":14,"formality":35,"contexts":80,"nuance":81,"example":82},"unwieldy",[16,17,42],"hard to handle because of size or shape","The old file system is unwieldy.",{"w":84,"intensity":23,"formality":23,"contexts":85,"nuance":86,"example":87},"messy",[18,17],"informal; disorganized and inconvenient","The negotiations have become messy.",{"w":89,"intensity":23,"formality":23,"contexts":90,"nuance":91,"example":92},"sticky",[18,17],"informal; difficult because of a delicate issue","We got into a sticky situation at work.",{"label":94,"pos":5,"gloss":95,"synonyms":96},"hard to please","strict, fussy, or demanding in judgment",[97,102,107,112,117,122],{"w":98,"intensity":23,"formality":14,"contexts":99,"nuance":100,"example":101},"particular",[17,18],"polite; pays close attention to details","She is particular about how the report is formatted.",{"w":103,"intensity":14,"formality":23,"contexts":104,"nuance":105,"example":106},"fussy",[18],"more negative; overly selective or exacting","My toddler is fussy about vegetables.",{"w":108,"intensity":23,"formality":29,"contexts":109,"nuance":110,"example":111},"picky",[18],"very casual, often mildly critical","He is picky about coffee.",{"w":113,"intensity":14,"formality":14,"contexts":114,"nuance":115,"example":116},"finicky",[18,17],"hard to satisfy because of many small preferences","The client is finicky about every design detail.",{"w":118,"intensity":35,"formality":35,"contexts":119,"nuance":120,"example":121},"exacting",[16,17,42],"formal; requires very high standards","The editor is exacting but fair.",{"w":123,"intensity":35,"formality":35,"contexts":124,"nuance":125,"example":126},"fastidious",[16,17,42],"highly precise, sometimes to excess","She is fastidious about cleanliness.",{"label":128,"pos":5,"gloss":129,"synonyms":130},"hard to understand","not easy to comprehend or interpret",[131,136,141,146,151,156],{"w":132,"intensity":14,"formality":35,"contexts":133,"nuance":134,"example":135},"opaque",[16,17],"formal; not clear in meaning","The policy statement is opaque.",{"w":137,"intensity":14,"formality":35,"contexts":138,"nuance":139,"example":140},"obscure",[16,42],"not clear or not readily understood","The poem is obscure in places.",{"w":142,"intensity":35,"formality":14,"contexts":143,"nuance":144,"example":145},"cryptic",[16,42,18],"deliberately or briefly hard to interpret","He sent a cryptic message.",{"w":147,"intensity":14,"formality":14,"contexts":148,"nuance":149,"example":150},"puzzling",[16,17,18],"causes confusion or uncertainty","The results are puzzling.",{"w":152,"intensity":23,"formality":14,"contexts":153,"nuance":154,"example":155},"unclear",[16,17,18],"plain and neutral, weaker than difficult","The instructions are unclear.",{"w":157,"intensity":158,"formality":158,"contexts":159,"nuance":160,"example":161},"abstruse",5,[16,42],"very formal; extremely hard to understand","The article uses abstruse terminology.",[163,164,165,166,167,168,169],"easy","simple","straightforward","manageable","clear","obvious","effortless","Use difficult as the safest general word, and choose a synonym based on whether you mean effort, handling, or understanding. In formal writing, challenging, demanding, problematic, and opaque often sound more precise than difficult.",[172,175,178],{"q":173,"a":174},"What is the most formal or academic synonym for difficult?","It depends on the sense. For something hard to understand, abstruse is highly formal and academic; for something hard to deal with, problematic or opaque may fit better. In many academic contexts, challenging is also preferred because it sounds measured rather than negative.",{"q":176,"a":177},"What is a stronger or milder alternative to difficult?","For a milder alternative, challenging is often the best choice because it sounds less negative and sometimes even positive. For a stronger alternative, arduous, exacting, or abstruse can sound more intense, depending on whether you mean effort, strictness, or comprehension.",{"q":179,"a":180},"When should I avoid using difficult repeatedly?","Avoid repeating difficult when you need to distinguish between different kinds of hardness. Replace it with words like demanding, troublesome, or obscure so readers can tell whether the problem is effort, inconvenience, or comprehension.",1790472037511]