Difficult
Difficult adjective - Requiring considerable physical or mental effort.
Usage example: difficult questions on the exam that required analytical thinking
Simple is an antonym for difficult in topics: problematical, complicated, unmanageable socially, hard to do.
Nearby Word: difficulty
Simple
Simple adjective - Involving minimal difficulty or effort.
Usage example: I got all of the answers right because it was such a simple test
Difficult is an antonym for simple in topics: uncomplicated, clear, complicated, childlike, feeble-minded.
Both words in one sentence
- A simple goal which required complicated tactics and difficult planning to reach, and yet Oikawa pulled it all off like it was no problem at all.
Source: Magnificent Bastard / Anime - Frasier often relied on the titular character, an eloquent, educated man who could often string together the most complicated of sentences, being rendered incoherent when a simple explanation could extricate him from a difficult situation.
- Cerberus. The bosses before him are either simple enough, or difficult, but not necessary to win.
Source: Wake-Up Call Boss
Cite this Source
Simple and Difficult. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/difficult/simple
Difficult & Simple. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/difficult/simple>.
Simple or Difficult. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/difficult/simple.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "difficult" and "simple" have occurred on timeline