Adjectives of Difficulty and Ambiguity

tough

Adjective

/tʌf/ or /taf/

t

t

ou

ʌ

gh

f

Select Your Language

difficult to achieve or deal with

tricky

Adjective

/trɪ.ki/ or /tri.ki/

t

t

r

r

i

ɪ

ck

k

y

i

Select Your Language

difficult to do or handle and requiring skill or caution

strenuous

Adjective

/strɛ.njuəs/ or /stre.nyooēs/

s

s

t

t

r

r

e

ɛ

n

n

uou

ju

ə

s

s

Select Your Language

requiring great physical effort or energy

demanding

Adjective

/dɪ.mæn.dɪng/ or /di.mān.ding/

d

d

e

ɪ

m

m

a

æ

n

n

d

d

i

ɪ

n

n

g

g

Select Your Language

(of a task) needing great effort, skill, etc.

problematic

Adjective

/prɑb.lə.mæ.tɪk/ or /praab.lē.mā.tik/

p

p

r

r

o

ɑ

b

b

l

l

e

ə

m

m

a

æ

t

t

i

ɪ

c

k

Select Your Language

presenting difficulties or concerns, often requiring careful consideration or attention

unclear

Adjective

/ʌn.klɪr/ or /an.klir/

u

ə

n

n

c

k

l

l

ea

ɪ

r

r

Select Your Language

not exactly known or expressed, often leading to confusion or ambiguity

vague

Adjective

/veɪg/ or /veig/

v

v

a

eɪ

g

g

u

e

Select Your Language

not clear or specific, lacking in detail or precision

indistinct

Adjective

/ɪn.dɪs.tɪnkt/ or /in.dis.tinkt/

i

ɪ

n

n

d

d

i

ɪ

s

s

t

t

i

ɪ

n

n

c

k

t

t

Select Your Language

not easily defined or understood due to a lack of clarity or precision

obscure

Adjective

/əbs.kjʊr/ or /ēbs.kyoor/

o

ə

b

b

s

s

c

k

u

jʊ

r

r

e

Select Your Language

difficult to comprehend due to being vague or hidden

ambiguous

Adjective

/æm.bɪ.gjuəs/ or /ām.bi.gyooēs/

a

æ

m

m

b

b

i

ɪ

g

g

uou

ju

ə

s

s

Select Your Language

unclear and not precisely stated or defined

incoherent

Adjective

/ɪn.koʊ.hɪ.rənt/ or /in.kooo.hi.rēnt/

i

ɪ

n

n

c

k

o

oʊ

h

h

e

ɪ

r

r

e

ə

n

n

t

t

Select Your Language

(of speech or written discourse) unclear or poorly organized in a way that is not comprehensible

enigmatic

Adjective

/ɛ.nɪg.mæ.tɪk/ or /e.nig.mā.tik/

e

ɛ

n

n

i

ɪ

g

g

m

m

a

æ

t

t

i

ɪ

c

k

Select Your Language

Disapproving

Formal

difficult to understand or interpret

confusing

Adjective

/kən.fju.zɪng/ or /kēn.fyoo.zing/

c

k

o

ə

n

n

f

f

u

ju

s

z

i

ɪ

n

n

g

g

Select Your Language

not clear or easily understood

perplexing

Adjective

/pɜrp.lɛk.sɪng/ or /pērp.lek.sing/

p

p

e

ɜ

r

r

p

p

l

l

e

ɛ

x

ks

i

ɪ

n

n

g

g

Select Your Language

causing confusion due to being complex or unclear

abstruse

Adjective

/əbs.trus/ or /ēbs.troos/

a

ə

b

b

s

s

t

t

r

r

u

u

s

s

e

Select Your Language

Disapproving

Formal

difficult to understand due to being complex or obscure

cryptic

Adjective

/krɪp.tɪk/ or /krip.tik/

c

k

r

r

y

ɪ

p

p

t

t

i

ɪ

c

k

Select Your Language

having mysterious and puzzling characteristics

nebulous

Adjective

/nɛb.jə.ləs/ or /neb.yē.lēs/

n

n

e

ɛ

b

b

u

j

ə

l

l

ou

ə

s

s

Select Your Language

vague and unclear, often used to describe ideas, concepts, or situations that are indistinct or hard to understand

mysterious

Adjective

/mɪs.tɪ.riəs/ or /mis.ti.riēs/

m

m

y

ɪ

s

s

t

t

e

ɪ

r

r

iou

iə

s

s

Select Your Language

difficult or impossible to comprehend or explain

fuzzy

Adjective

/fə.zi/ or /fē.zi/

f

f

u

ə

zz

z

y

i

Select Your Language

lacking clear definition or sharpness, appearing indistinct or blurry