uphill
B1General. Common in both spoken and written language.
Definition
Meaning
Towards the top of a slope or hill; requiring significant effort or facing difficulty.
Describes a task, process, or situation that is demanding, challenging, and progresses slowly against resistance.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Can function literally (direction/terrain) or figuratively (difficult struggle). As an adjective, it typically precedes the noun (e.g., 'an uphill battle').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Both varieties use all parts of speech (adj., adv., noun) identically.
Connotations
Identical connotations of difficulty, struggle, and effort in both varieties.
Frequency
Comparably frequent in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
It is/was an uphill + NOUN (battle/task) + to-INFINITIVEVERB + uphill (go/run/walk/push)face + uphill + NOUNVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's all uphill from here. (Often used ironically to mean the opposite: more difficulty is coming)”
- “uphill battle/struggle”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Describing difficult market entry, tough negotiations, or challenging sales targets (e.g., 'We face an uphill battle to regain market share.').
Academic
Describing complex research or challenging theoretical problems (e.g., 'Proving this hypothesis was an uphill struggle.').
Everyday
Describing physical activity (walking up a hill) or any difficult chore (e.g., 'Getting the kids to tidy their room is always an uphill task.').
Technical
Used literally in geography, sports science, or engineering (e.g., 'The vehicle's efficiency decreases on an uphill gradient.').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The cyclists had to uphill for the final three kilometres of the race.
- (Note: Verb use is rare and context-specific, often in sports commentary.)
American English
- The truck uphiiled slowly on the steep mountain pass.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The path goes uphill to the old castle.
- Cycling uphill is very tiring.
- We walked uphill for an hour to reach the village.
- Learning a new language can feel like an uphill struggle at first.
- After the scandal, the politician faced an uphill battle to regain public trust.
- The road winds steeply uphill for the next five miles.
- The negotiations were an uphill endeavour from the outset, hampered by mutual distrust.
- The research team is climbing an uphill academic slope, challenging long-established theories.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Picture yourself pushing a heavy ball UP a HILL. It's hard work! This image captures both the literal direction and the figurative difficulty.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIFFICULTIES ARE UPHILL JOURNEYS / PROGRESS IS UPWARD MOTION. A challenging process is conceptualised as moving upward against gravity.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation with 'в гору' for every context. While correct for the literal sense, the figurative 'uphill battle' is better translated as 'тяжелая борьба' or 'трудная задача'.
- Do not confuse with 'uphold' (поддерживать).
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a verb synonym for 'increase' (Incorrect: 'Prices are uphilling.' Correct: 'Prices are rising.').
- Misspelling as two words ('up hill') in adjectival or noun collocations (e.g., 'an uphill battle').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses 'uphill' figuratively?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is almost always written as one word, especially as an adjective ('an uphill task') or adverb ('walk uphill'). 'Up hill' as two words is rarely used.
Yes, but less commonly. It can refer to an upward slope (e.g., 'The car struggled on the steep uphill.')
An 'uphill battle' implies a continuous, strenuous effort against active resistance or obstacles, while a 'difficult task' is more general.
It is typically used ironically to mean things will get worse (more difficult). Used sincerely to mean 'things will get easier' is less common and can be confusing; 'it's all downhill from here' is the standard idiom for improvement/ease.
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