{
    "term": "difficult",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand",
            "sensetop": "difficult for somebodyit is difficult to do somethingsomething is difficult to doit is difficult for somebody to do something",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The competition judges were given a very **difficult task**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a difficult decision/question"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Asking for help is **extremely difficult** for some people.",
                    "contextForm": "difficult for somebody"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's really difficult to read your writing.",
                    "contextForm": "it is difficult to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Your writing is really difficult to read.",
                    "contextForm": "something is difficult to do"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is difficult to imagine how this could have happened."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She **finds it** very **difficult** to get up early."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's difficult for them to get here much before seven.",
                    "contextForm": "it is difficult for somebody to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It has become **increasingly difficult** for young people to buy a house."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is getting more and more difficult to find a job."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The fog made driving very difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He finds French pronunciation quite difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Finding an acceptable solution proved more difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was given the difficult task of informing the girl's parents of her disappearance."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Senior lawyers handle the most difficult cases."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She is confronted with a difficult choice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The design of the building posed some difficult challenges."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The exam questions were particularly difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We didn't realize how difficult it was going to be."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The application process is notoriously difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is difficult to understand who this book is aimed at."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "look", "prove"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "full of problems; causing a lot of trouble",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I found myself in a **difficult situation**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "difficult conditions/circumstances"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'd had a **difficult time** and needed a break."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a difficult year/month"
                },
                {
                    "text": "My boss is **making life** very **difficult** for me."
                },
                {
                    "text": "13 is a difficult age."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They had to set up camp in extremely difficult conditions."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His presence there put me in a very difficult position."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The next few months were quite difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These are difficult and painful memories."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her childhood was incredibly difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Change is difficult for everyone."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The challenge of vaccinating the entire adult population is made doubly difficult by misinformation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "What's the most difficult personal situation you've ever been in?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "There was a great deal of difficult terrain to be covered."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure", "Personal qualities"],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "look", "prove"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "not easy to please; not helpful",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a difficult child/customer/boss"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Don't pay any attention to her—she's just being difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The singer has a difficult reputation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Roger was always a difficult child."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We have training in how to deal with difficult customers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In every workplace there's always someone you find difficult."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Stop being so difficult."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "awkward"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to have difficulty doing something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You'll have a job convincing them that you're right."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had a hard job to make himself heard."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She'll have a tough job getting the team into shape in time."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's very dark out there—you'll have a job to see anything."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/",
                "audio": "di/difficult/difficult__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/",
                "audio": "di/difficult/difficult__us_2_rr.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: back-formation from difficulty."
}