adj. requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill; "found the job very demanding"; "a baby can be so demanding"

adj. requiring full use of your abilities or resources; "ambitious schedule"; "performed the most challenging task without a mistake"

adj. not forbearing; ruthless; "an unsparing critic"

adj. (of weapons or instruments) causing suffering and pain; "brutal instruments of torture"; "cruel weapons of war"

adj. harsh; "sharp criticism"; "a sharp-worded exchange"; "a tart remark"

adj. characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort; "worked their arduous way up the mining valley"; "a grueling campaign"; "hard labor"; "heavy work"; "heavy going"; "spent many laborious hours on the project"; "set a punishing pace"

adj. not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "a difficult child"; "found himself in a difficult situation"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"

adj. making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home"

adj. having concealed difficulty; "a catchy question"; "a tricky recipe to follow"

adj. difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate negotiations with the big powers";"hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter"; "a touchy subject"

adj. causing vexation or worry: "trying times"; "serious problems"

adj. impressively difficult; "a tall order"

adj. extremely difficult; requiring the strength of a Hercules; "a herculean task"

adj. hard to manage; inclined to make trouble: "a difficult child"

adj. requiring great effort; "a hard-fought primary"

adj. very unpleasant; "hellish weather"; "stop that god-awful racket"

adj. exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent; "a nasty problem"; "a good man to have on your side in a tight situation"

adj. full of hardship or trials; "the rocky road to success"; "they were having a rough time"

adj. causing difficulty in finding an answer or solution; much disputed; "the vexed issue of priorities"; "we live in vexed and troubled times"

adj. not demanding; requiring little if any patience or effort or skill; "the pay was adequate and the job undemanding"; "simple undemanding affection"; "an undemanding boss"