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difficile. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
difficile, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
difficile in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
difficile you have here. The definition of the word
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difficile, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
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)
- Hard to work with; stubborn.
- Difficult.
- , 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
Translations
hard to work with, stubborn
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French difficile, from Latin difficilis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
difficile (plural difficiles)
- 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)
- 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
Further reading
Interlingua
Pronunciation
Adjective
difficile (comparative plus difficile, superlative le plus difficile)
- difficult
Antonyms
Italian
Etymology
From Latin difficilis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
difficile (plural difficili, superlative difficilissimo)
- difficult, hard
- Antonym: facile
Noun
difficile m or f by sense (plural difficili)
- person who is intractable or hard to please
2012, John Green, translated by Giorgia Grilli, Colpa delle Stelle [The Fault in our Stars], Mondadori, page 36:Mi divertivo a fare la difficile.- I enjoyed being coy.
- (literally, “I enjoyed being a hard-to-please person.”)
Noun
difficile m (plural difficili)
- difficult time or moment
il difficile ormai è superato- the hard time is now over
References
Latin
Etymology 1
From difficilis (“difficult, troublesome”) + -ē.
Pronunciation
Adverb
difficilē (comparative difficilius, superlative difficilissimē)
- with difficulty
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 2
Inflected form of difficilis (“difficult, troublesome”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
difficile
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of difficilis
References
- “difficile”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- difficile in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Middle French
Adjective
difficile m or f (plural difficiles)
- difficult
Norman
Etymology
From Old French difficile, from Latin difficilis.
Adjective
difficile m or f
- (Jersey, Guernsey) difficult
Derived terms
Old French
Adjective
difficile m (oblique and nominative feminine singular difficile)
- difficult
Descendants