difficult time
169
3.1
- noun
- After losing his job, he felt that this was the most difficult time in his life.
- experience difficult times
- face a difficult time
- have a difficult time getting
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeThey always have a notoriously difficult time finding a vein in my arm.
- They always have a notoriously difficult time finding a vein in my arm.
- And Oren had a very difficult time with that transition.
- And it's been a really difficult time and I've been single through it.
- The KMTCCP split came at a difficult time for the Northern Expedition.
- I think we're going through obviously some really difficult times, but I'm such an optimist.
- Difficult times can define us or difficult times can develop us.
- And I had a very difficult time seeing it.
- That happened when it came to people going through difficult times with deaths.
- Well, just this morning we were having a difficult time with Shepard getting him to school.
- When we go from light to darkness, we similarly have a very difficult time until our eyes adjust.
- And also that there's going to be some really tough, difficult times where it doesn't make sense to you.
Examples
-
Our country is going through a difficult time now.
-
And it's been a really difficult time and I've been single through it.
-
And let me tell you, that was the most difficult time of my life.
-
Yes, it has been a difficult time indeed.
-
This has been a very difficult time for myself and my family.
-
This must be an extremely difficult time.
-
Yeah, Robin and I are having a difficult time and I moved out.
-
Sometimes a student will have a difficult time meeting the expectations.
Academic text (2012) -
Difficult times can define us or difficult times can develop us.
-
I think we're going through obviously some really difficult times, but I'm such an optimist.
Synonyms
615
2.4
A hard part of a task that needs extra effort or is not easy to understand
522
2.9
A period when someone has difficulty or trouble
129
3.4
A time of serious difficulty, often with little money or food
96
3.1
A period when people have many problems with money or daily life
70
4.9
A difficult time when you face many problems
34
9.1
A time of great trouble and suffering
12
8.1
A period when someone has many problems to deal with
7
5.3
A situation or task that is hard to do
5
3.2
Periods when people are in trouble and others must help them
5
3.7
A difficult situation that is hard to deal with
2
3.9
A difficult time that is hard to get through
2
6.1
A time when someone has many problems and finds life difficult
1
7.0
A difficult time that is hard to get through
Antonyms
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'difficult' describes the quality of a 'time' (a period), so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer 'a period of hardship or challenges.' This construction is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English modification patterns, making the meaning immediately transparent.
Etymology
Difficult time paints the picture of time as a path and difficult as heavy stones or a steep hill on that path. So a difficult time means 'a period when life is hard and you face problems'.