Synonyms of difficult
14 similar words · 1 opposite word
Another word for difficult is challenging. Other synonyms of difficult are rough, hard, arduous, cumbersome and nasty. The opposite of difficult is easy.
Synonyms and similar words for difficult
adjectiveMore synonyms
- burdensomeCharacteristic of a burden; arduous or demanding.
- cumbersomeHard, difficult, and demanding to handle or get around with.
- hardDifficult or requiring a lot of effort to do, understand, experience, or deal with.
- arduousDifficult or exhausting to traverse.
- challengingDifficult, hard to do.
- nastyAwkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous.
- sticky informalDifficult, awkward.
- effortfulRequiring or showing effort.
- roughDifficult; trying.
- rockyEncountering many problems; difficult, troubled; also, in danger or distress.
- thistly
- toughOf a question, difficult or demanding.
- uneathNot easy; hard.
- unsimpleNot simple.
Opposite of difficult
adjectiveMore antonyms
Meaning of difficult
- adjective Hard, not easy, requiring much effort.
- adjective Hard to manage, uncooperative, troublesome.
- adjective Unable or unwilling.
difficult in other languages
Questions about synonyms of difficult
- What is another word for difficult?
- Difficult has 14 synonyms on Word.ws, such as challenging, rough, hard, arduous, cumbersome, nasty and burdensome.
- What is the opposite of difficult?
- The opposite of difficult is easy.
- What does difficult mean?
- Difficult means hard, not easy, requiring much effort.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: difficult (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of difficult.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/difficult. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.