difficult to ignore

USAGE SUMMARY

"difficult to ignore" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when describing something that demands attention or is hard to overlook. An example: "The loud noise from the construction site was difficult to ignore." Alternative expressions include "hard to overlook" and "impossible to dismiss."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

He was difficult to ignore.

The New York Times - Sports

It's difficult to ignore.

Harvard Business Review

Is it difficult to ignore them?

The New York Times - Sports

The accomplishments are becoming difficult to ignore.

The New York Times - Sports

The marketing messages are difficult to ignore.

The New York Times

But the links in many cases are difficult to ignore.

Yale University

But that will soon be difficult to ignore.

The Economist

But the simple math was difficult to ignore.

The New York Times

It is difficult to ignore such trends," Mowatt-Larssen wrote.

The New Yorker

The consequences are becoming more difficult to ignore.

The Guardian

"It's a sound that's very difficult to ignore".

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair the phrase with 'becoming' or 'proving' to show that a situation is gaining in importance over time.

Common error

Do not use "difficult to ignore" for every visible object. Save it for instances where the subject forces a cognitive or emotional reaction. If something is merely visible, use 'noticeable' or 'evident' instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficult to ignore" functions as an adjectival phrase where the adjective 'difficult' is modified by a to-infinitive clause. In the examples provided by Ludwig, it typically appears as a subject complement following linking verbs like 'is', 'was', 'becomes' or 'finds it'. It serves to qualify a noun by describing the level of cognitive effort required to omit it from consideration.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Academia

25%

Science

12%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

2%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "difficult to ignore" is a linguistically correct and rhetorically effective way to draw attention to unavoidable truths or persistent stimuli. According to Ludwig AI, it is Very common in high-tier publications, serving as a bridge between an observation and its necessary acknowledgement. Whether used to describe a political movement, a scientific anomaly or a physical sound, it conveys a sense of unavoidable significance. It is most effective when used in formal registers to denote that a specific subject has become too prominent to be disregarded.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hard to overlook

Uses a more idiomatic verb but maintains the same level of intensity.

impossible to ignore

Increases the intensity from a challenge to an absolute impossibility.

impossible to dismiss

Focuses on the inability to reject or push the subject away mentally.

difficult to disregard

A more formal alternative typically used in professional or academic settings.

too significant to ignore

Adds a causal layer explaining why the subject demands attention.

demands attention

Uses active voice to describe the subject's inherent power.

tough to miss

Slightly more colloquial and physical in its connotation.

hard to tune out

Often applied to auditory stimuli or persistent distractions.

painful to ignore

Adds an emotional or negative physical weight to the act of ignoring.

staring one in the face

An idiomatic expression for something that is obvious and unavoidable.

FAQs

How to use "difficult to ignore" in a sentence?

You can use it to emphasize a salient point, for example: 'The environmental impact of this project is "hard to overlook"'.

What is the difference between "difficult to ignore" and "impossible to ignore"?

While "difficult to ignore" suggests that overlooking the subject requires a significant effort, "impossible to ignore" suggests that it is functionally beyond human capacity to do so.

Is "difficult to ignore" formal enough for an essay?

Yes, it is highly suitable for formal writing. Ludwig examples show frequent use in sources like the "The New York Times" and academic journals.

What can I say instead of "difficult to ignore"?

Depending on your context, you could use "hard to overlook", "impossible to dismiss" or "undeniable".