Among the currently most popular synonyms for difficult are: pigheaded, abstract, bloody-minded, baffling, wearying, uncooperative, untimely, finicky, tiresome, challenging, problematic, picky, complex, intricate, recondite, hellish, fussy, distressing, puzzling, enigmatic, parlous, tiring, inopportune, unaccommodating, gnarly, critical, obscure, straitened, refractory, direful, fastidious, cussed, unamenable, ill-timed, ticklish, awful, involute, contrary, laborious, bad, black, unpleasant, froward, wearing, perplexing, impenetrable, unmanageable, burdensome, balky, involved, unseasonable, unreasonable, hard-pressed, heavy, involuted, unsuitable, thorny, unhelpful, wearisome, grim, unfathomable, dreadful, onerous, confusing, abstruse, disagreeable, adverse, complicated, exigent, painful, toilsome, demanding, no picnic, inconvenient, choosy, bull-headed, over one's head, knotty, ambitious, finical, strenuous, contrarious, hypercritical, severe, unfavorable, perverse, awkward, contumacious, trying, perfectionist, recalcitrant, dark, unfortunate, disobliging, crucial, terrible, uphill, exasperating, stubborn, nightmarish, arduous, particular, obstinate, grueling, punishing, troublesome, sticky, killing, harrowing, fatiguing, disadvantageous, fractious, exhausting, hard, tough, inexpedient, intractable, inappropriate, obstreperous, mysterious, grinding, unwelcome, mystifying.