dif-fĭcĭlis, e (old form difficul, like facul, famul, simul, etc., Varr. ap. Non. 111, 25), adj. [facilis; hence, far from easy to do, to accomplish, to bear, etc.; v. facilis], hard, difficult, troublesome (very freq. and class.).
I In gen.: nulla est tam facilis res, quin difficilis siet, quom invitus facias, Ter. Heaut. 805; cf. Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 20; and: sacrorum diligentiam difficilem, apparatum perfacilem esse voluit, Cic. Rep. 2, 14 Mos.: quae facilia ex difficillimis animi magnitudo redegerat, Caes. B. G. 2, 27, fin. : quam graves, quam difficiles plerisque videntur calamitatum societates! Cic. Lael. 17 fin. : res arduae ac difficiles, id. Inv. 2, 54, 163; cf. id. Or. 10; id. Tusc. 3, 34 fin. ; Plin. 17, 4, 3, § 28: contortae res et difficiles, Cic. de Or. 1, 58 fin. : quam scopuloso difficilique in loco verser, id. Div. in Caecil. 11, 35; cf.: in locos difficiles abire, Sall. J. 87 fin. Kritz.: iter angustum et difficile, Caes. B. G. 1, 6; id. B. C. 1, 65, 3: valles, id. ib. 1, 68, 2: difficili et arduo ascensu, id. ib. 3, 34; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 23: difficilis atque impedita palus, Caes. B. G. 7, 19: transitus, id. ib. 6, 7, 5: aditus, id. ib. 7, 36; Hor. S. 1, 9, 56: tempus anni difficillimum, Caes. B. C. 1, 48, 5: difficili rei publicae tempore, Cic. de Imp. Pomp. 21: difficillimo reip. tempore, id. Phil. 5, 13, 36; cf. id. Caecin. 4, 11: difficilioribus usi tempestatibus, Caes. B. C. 3, 15, 4: partus, Plin. 24, 5, 13, § 22: urina, id. 23, 9, 83, § 165: venter, id. 22, 13, 15, § 33 et saep.: (Macer et Lucretius) alter humilis, alter difficilis, Quint. 10, 1, 87 Frotsch.: nimium difficile est reperiri amicum, Plaut. Trin. 3, 1, 20; so with a subject-clause, Ter. And. 211; Lucr. 1, 138; Cic. Lael. 6, 22; 8, 26; 10, 33 et saep.; Caes. B. G. 1, 14, 2; 7, 58, 2; id. B. C. 1, 50 fin. et saep.; cf.: difficile ad fidem est in tam antiqua re, quot pugnaverint ceciderintve exacto affirmare numero, Liv. 3, 5, 12: difficile est longum subito deponere amorem, Cat. 77, 13.—Prov.: difficile est, crimen non prodere vultu, Ov. M. 2, 447: difficile est, tristi fingere mente jocum, Tib. 3, 7, 2: (rebus) difficilibus ad eloquendum, Cic. Off. 1, 35, 126: ad percipiendum, Quint. 8 prooem. § 4.—With supin. : difficile factu est, Cic. Rep. 1, 43; so, factu, id. Off. 1, 21, 71; id. N. D. 3, 1; id. Univ. 11: dictu, id. Lael. 3, 12; 7, 23; id. Fam. 1, 7, 2: aditu (locus), Sall. J. 91 fin. Kritz.—With dat.: fructus difficilis concoctioni, Plin. 23, 8, 79, § 151.—With gerund. : in difficili esse, Liv. 3, 65, 11; cf.: in facili esse, id. 3, 8, 9; so, in difficili rem esse, Cels. 5, 26 fin. : ille casus in difficili est, si, etc., Dig. 28, 2, 29, § 15.
II In partic., of character, hard to manage or to please, obstinate, captious, morose, surly : difficiles ac morosi, Cic. Or. 29 fin. ; cf. id. Fin. 1, 18, 61; Att. ap. Non. 407, 25; Hor. S. 2, 5, 90; id. A. P. 173: senex, Ter. Heaut. 535; cf.: moderati nec difficiles nec inhumani senes, Cic. de Sen. 3, 7: sunt morosi et anxii et iracundi et difficiles senes, id. ib. 18, 65: avunculus difficillimā naturā, Nep. Att. 5; cf.: difficili bile tumet jecur, Hor. C. 1, 13, 4: parens in liberos difficilis, Att. ap. Cic. N. D. 3, 29, 72: Penelopen difficilem procis, Hor. C. 3, 10, 11: vocanti, id. ib. 3, 7, 32: Gradivo, Ov. A. A. 2, 566: precibus, id. P. 2, 2, 20.— Trop.: terrae, intractable , Verg. G. 2, 179. —Prov.: difficilem oportet aurem habere ad crimina, deaf, inaccessible , Pub. Syr. 133 (Rib.).—Adv., in three forms (but the use of the adv. is mostly avoided by the best authors, difficile est taking its place, v. supra).
α diffĭcĭlē , with difficulty (perh. not ante-Aug.), Vell. 2, 63, 3; Plin. 11, 18, 19, § 62; 27, 12, 94, § 120; Suet. Gramm. 11; Just. 27, 3, 2; Pall. Jan. 7; Tert. Apol. 48.—
β diffĭculter , with difficulty (the usual form), Caes. B. C. 1, 62; Sall. C. 14, 5; Liv. 1, 52, 4; 42, 54, 3; Tac. A. 12, 35; Suet. Claud. 41; Quint. 1, 3, 3 al.—
γ diffĭcĭl-ĭter , with difficulty (rare), Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 16, 49 and 50; Col. 5, 3, 1; 5, 7, 1; Lact. Mort. Pers. 9, 7.—
b Comp. : difficilius, Caes. B. G. 7, 58; Quint. 1, 12, 8; 11, 2, 28; Plin. 22, 21, 28, § 56; Suet. Caes. 29; id. Ner. 43 al.—
c Sup. : difficillime, Cic. Lael. 17, 64; Plin. 16, 33, 60, § 139; 19, 7, 35, § 117 al.