Uphill
/ˈʌphɪl/
Definitions
3 meaningsRising or sloping upward; going or extending upward.
/ˈʌphɪl/
Sloping upward
The hikers found the uphill climb challenging.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're riding your bike, and the road starts to go up! That part of the road is uphill. It's harder to pedal!
👶 For kids: Going up a hill!
More Examples
We took the uphill route to the top of the mountain.
It's much harder to cycle uphill than on a flat road.
How It's Used
"We walked uphill for a mile to reach the scenic overlook."
"The path followed an uphill grade."
Upward on a slope; in an upward direction.
/ˈʌphɪl/
Upward on a slope
The runners sprinted uphill.
💡 Simply: When you're walking *up* a hill, you are going uphill.
👶 For kids: Going up a hill!
More Examples
The car slowly climbed uphill.
They had to push the bike uphill.
How It's Used
"They struggled uphill against the strong wind."
"The trail went uphill for the first hour."
Difficult and requiring a lot of effort or struggle; arduous.
/ˈʌphɪl/
Difficult and requiring a lot of effort
Rebuilding the business was an uphill climb after the economic downturn.
💡 Simply: Imagine trying to do something really hard, like climbing a mountain. That's an uphill battle because it takes a lot of effort!
👶 For kids: Something that's hard to do.
More Examples
Winning the election was an uphill battle for the candidate.
Negotiating the contract was an uphill process.
How It's Used
"The project proved to be an uphill struggle."
"The company faced an uphill battle to regain market share."
Synonyms
Ascending
Inclined
Rising
Incline
Arduous
Challenging
Difficult
Taxing
Idioms & expressions
an uphill battle
A difficult struggle or contest.
"Getting the project approved was an uphill battle against bureaucracy."
to go uphill
To become more difficult or challenging.
"As the project progressed, things started to go uphill."
From Old English *up* (up) and *hill*. Its literal meaning and figurative usage developed over time.
Used literally to describe upward slopes since the Old English period, and figuratively for difficult tasks since the 19th century.
Memory tip
Think of physically walking *up* a *hill*.