difficile

English

Etymology

From late Old French difficile, from Latin difficilis, from dis- + facilis (“easy”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪ.fɪ.saɪl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪ.fə.səl/
• Hyphenation: dif‧fi‧cile

Adjective

difficile (comparative more difficile, superlative most difficile) (obsolete)

1. Hard to work with; stubborn.
2. Difficult.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
     , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.185:

     […] forasmuch as he was to judge of an internall beauty, of a difficile knowledge, and abstruse discovery.

Derived terms

• difficileness

Translations

hard to work with, stubborn

Portuguese: difícil (pt) m Russian: несгово́рчивый (ru) m (nesgovórčivyj)

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French difficile, from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.fi.sil/

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [d͡zifɪsɪl], [d͡zɪfɪsɪl], [d͡zɪfsɪl] (Quebec)
• Hyphenation: dif‧fi‧cile

Adjective

difficile (plural difficiles)

1. difficult

   Synonym: ardu

   Antonym: facile

   Near-synonym: compliqué

   la critique est aisée mais l’art est ‘’’difficile’’’ ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. choosy, fussy, picky

   être ‘’’difficile’’’ ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   faire le ‘’’difficile’’’ ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

• difficilement
• difficulté

Further reading

• “difficile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /difˈfi.tsi.le/

Adjective

difficile (comparative plus difficile, superlative le plus difficile)

1. difficult

Antonyms

• facile