Definition of "difficult" []

• Hard to do or accomplish; demanding considerable effort or skill; arduous: "To entertain is far more difficult than to enlighten” ( Anthony Burgess). See Synonyms at hard. (adjective)
• Hard to endure; trying: fell upon difficult times. (adjective)
• Hard to comprehend or solve: a difficult puzzle. (adjective)
• Hard to please, satisfy, or manage: a difficult child. (adjective)
• Hard to persuade or convince; stubborn. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It is of course extremely difficult to collect satisfactory data on such a point, —difficult to reach the men, to get trustworthy testimony, and to gauge that testimony by any generally acceptable criterion of success."
• "The uncertain light made her expression difficult to read, but Odosse thought she saw pain there—a great deal more pain than belonged in such a young face."
• "KING: Jeanette, what does the term difficult mean to you?"