rough going
Difficult path ahead
Rough going describes difficult progress or challenging conditions.
The phrase evokes terrain that's hard to traverse—muddy, rocky, or steep.
It applies to any situation where advancement is slow or arduous: The first semester was rough going, but she found her footing.
Often used with "it's" or "it was": It was rough going until we secured funding.
- roadblocksObstructions blocking forward movement
- red tapeBureaucratic obstacles to action
- uphill battleDifficult prolonged endeavor
- steep climbSharply angled upward path
- setbacksReversals of progress
harsh weather · heavy weather · tough sledding · self-doubt · bottlenecks · resistance · complications · frustration · bumpy ride · grief · inner turmoil · rocky road · hard road · anxiety · adversity · heavy lifting · hard slog · heartbreak
- hardshipshardship, adversity, struggle, misfortune, difficulties
- challengeschallenge, difficult, hard, challenging, tough
rough goingsmooth sailing
Untroubled progress forward
easy going · a breeze · plain sailing · clear sailing · a walk in the park
rough, going, roughly, roughness, roughen, rougher, roughest, gone, outgoing