Synonyms and antonyms of Difficult to do and involving a lot of effort in British Thesaurus

difficult (adjective)

not easy to do, deal with, or understand

hard (adverb)

using a lot of effort

tough (adjective)

difficult

demanding (adjective)

needing a lot of time, ability, and energy

challenging (adjective)

difficult to deal with or achieve, but interesting and enjoyable

arduous (adjective)

extremely difficult and involving a lot of effort

taxing (adjective)

difficult, and needing a lot of physical or mental effort

gruelling (adjective)

very difficult and involving a lot of continuous effort

complicated (adjective)

difficult to do, deal with, or understand, especially because of involving a lot of different processes or aspects

be an effort ()

to be difficult, tiring, or boring to do

a devil of a ()

used for emphasizing how difficult or unpleasant something is

ambitious (adjective)

an ambitious plan, aim, or attempt is difficult and will need a lot of effort to succeed

awkward (adjective)

something that is awkward is difficult to move or use because of its shape or position

be a son of a bitch (mainly American)

mainly Americanoffensive to be very difficult to do

be hard-pressed (to do something) ()

used for saying that something is difficult to do or is unlikely to happen

be murder ()

to be very difficult, unpleasant, or uncomfortable

be no joke ()

to be very difficult or unpleasant

be no tea party ()

to be difficult or unpleasant

be slow going ()

used for saying that progress is slow and difficult to achieve

cannot very well do something ()

used for saying that it is difficult, wrong, or stupid for someone to do something

delicate (adjective)

a delicate process is difficult, needing care and a lot of skill

devilish (adjective)

informal used for emphasizing how difficult or unpleasant something is

easier said than done ()

used for saying that something is a good idea but will be difficult to achieve

elusive (adjective)

difficult or impossible to achieve

exacting (adjective)

needing a lot of skill and care

fiddly (adjective)

informal difficult and annoying because you have to make small complicated movements with your fingers

generous (adjective)

a generous action takes more time or effort than is usual or expected

hard (adjective)

difficult to do

hard (adjective)

involving a lot of effort

hard-earned (adjective)

earned or achieved only after a lot of effort

hard-fought (adjective)

fought with a lot of effort, especially against a very determined opponent

hard-won (adjective)

achieved only after a lot of effort

heavy (adjective)

involving a lot of physical effort

heavy (adjective)

informal serious and difficult

heavy going ()

something that is heavy going is difficult to achieve or understand

hell for leather ()

very quickly, or with a lot of effort

herculean (adjective)

needing a lot of strength and determination in order to be achieved

impossible (adjective)

extremely difficult to do or to deal with

intense (adjective)

involving or done with a lot of effort, energy, attention etc

intensive (adjective)

involving a lot of effort, energy, or attention

like getting blood from a stone ()

used for saying that it is very difficult to persuade someone to give you something or tell you something

like hell (spoken)

spoken with a lot of speed or effort

like painting the Forth Bridge ()

used for saying that a job feels as if it will never be finished because when you get to the end you have to start again

narrow (adjective)

achieved with difficulty, in a way that shows how close the result was

precision (adjective)

needing skill and accurate movements

punishing (adjective)

extremely difficult, tiring, or damaging

rocket science (noun)

informal a difficult activity that you need to be intelligent to do or understand. This word often shows that you do not think an activity is difficult at all

rugged (adjective)

needing a lot of physical strength

sensitive (adjective)

needing to be dealt with carefully

sensitivity (noun)

a situation in which something needs to be dealt with carefully because people could be offended

severe (adjective)

needing a lot of effort, skill, or ability

strenuous (adjective)

a strenuous activity is one in which it is necessary for you to use a lot of effort, energy, or strength

take a bit of doing ()

to need a lot of effort, skill, or determination to do

take some doing ()

used for saying that something will be very difficult to do

that’s/it’s easier said than done ()

used for telling someone that what they are advising you to do is not easy to achieve

time-consuming (adjective)

something that is time-consuming takes a long time to do

tricky (adjective)

difficult to do

try as someone might ()

used for saying that someone is making a very great effort but still cannot do something

unmanageable (adjective)

extremely difficult to control or organize

uphill (adjective)

difficult to do or to achieve