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difficult life

[/ˈdɪfɪkəlt laɪf/]
noun phrasefemininepl: difficult lives
vida difícil
1. A life characterized by hardship, challenges, and struggles; an existence marked by adversity and obstacles
After losing his job, he found himself living a difficult life.
Depois de perder seu emprego, ele se viu vivendo uma vida difícil.
2. A period or lifestyle involving emotional, financial, or social hardship
She had a difficult life growing up in poverty.
Ela teve uma vida difícil crescendo na pobreza.
NYC Slang
rough life, struggle life
Synonyms
hard lifetough lifetroubled lifestruggling lifechallenging existence
Antonyms
easy lifecomfortable lifeblessed lifeprivileged life

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
vida difícil
Standard usage across Brazil
São Paulo
vida difícil / vida dura
Both expressions commonly used
Rio de Janeiro
vida difícil / vida pesada
'Vida pesada' is colloquially used to express hardship
Portugal
vida difícil / vida dura
Standard usage, 'dura' emphasizes the harshness

Related Idioms & Phrases

a hard row to hoe
go through the mill
face adversity
have a rough go
tough it out
life's a grind
levar uma vida dura (Portuguese)
ter uma vida de sofrimento (Portuguese)
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