Quick Definition
χαλεπός, ή, όν Adj hard, harsh, fierce
Strong's Definition
perhaps from 5465 through the idea of reducing the strength; difficult, i.e. dangerous, or (by implication) furious
KJV Usage: fierce, perilous
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
adjc. | -ή, -όν
22.29 · Trouble, Hardship, Relief, Favorable Circumstances · Difficult, Hard
troublous, distressful, violent pertaining to that which causes trouble and hardship, with an implication of violence It may be very difficult in some languages to speak of ‘troublous times,’ for ‘trouble’ seems to relate to human experience and not to circumstances. Therefore, this expression in 2TI 3:1 can perhaps be best rendered in some languages as ‘in the last days, people will suffer very much.’
20.2 · Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill · Violence
dangerous, fierce pertaining to one who is inclined to violent and dangerous activity
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
χαλεπός, -7, -dv, (fr. χαλέπτω to oppress, annoy, [(?)]), fr. Hom. down, hard (Lat. difficilis) ; a. hard to do, b. hard to bear, troublesome, καιροὶ χαλεποί, [R.V. grievous], 2 Tim. iii. 1 ; harsh, fierce, savage: of men, Mt. viii. 28 (Is. xviii. 2 and often in prof. auth. fr. Hom. down).
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
χαλεπός chalepos 2x
hard, rugged; furious, ferocious, Mt. 8:28; difficult, trying, 2 Tim. 3:1*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
χαλεπός, -ή, -όν
[in LXX: Is 18:2 (נוֺרָא), Wi 3:19, Si 3:21, al. ;]
hard;
hard to do or deal with, difficult;
hard to bear, painful, grievous: καιροί, II Ti 3:1;
of persons, hard to deal with, harsh, fierce, savage: Mt 8:28.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
χαλεπός, “hard,” ‘‘ difficult,” : cf. P Oxy X. 124235 (early iii/a.D.), an account of an audience granted by Trajan to certain Greek and Jewish envoys from Alexandria, when the Emperor does not return the salute of the Alexandrian envoys but exclaims—xauper(feré pe ὡς ἄξειοι τυγχάνοντ[ες] τοῦ χαίρειν, τοιαῦτα χαλεπὰ τολμήσαντε[-ς] ᾿Ιουδαίοις ; ‘do you give me greeting like men deserving to receive one, when you are guilty of such outrages to the Jews?” (Edd.) : see also Sy// 356 (=* 780)3 (c. B.C. 6) αὐτοῖς ἐδόξ[ατε χαλεποὶ γεγονέναι, where the adj. = “harsh,’’ “ fierce,” as in Mt 838,
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
χαλεπός (chalepos) — harsh. χαλεπ-ός, ή, όν, difficult (ὃ ἂν μὴ ῥᾴδιον ᾖ ἀλλὰ διὰ πολλῶν πραγμάτων γίγνηται [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I. in reference to the feelings, hard to bear, painful, grievous (so frequently in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἄλλα τῶν κατεχόντων πρηγμάτων - ώτερα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χαλεπώτατα [πράγματα] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; νόσος, πλάνη, etc., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ ἐσβολὴ αὕτη -ωτάτη τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἐγένετο [Refs 5th c.BC+]; [θώρακες] δύσφοροι καὶ χ., of ill-fitting cuirasses, [Refs 5th c.BC+] the severity of the wind, [Refs]; τὰ χ. hardships, opposed to τὰ τερπνά, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: comparative, more unpleasant, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
I.2. hard to do or deal with, difficult, irksome, -ώτατον ἔργον ἁπάντων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά proverbial cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+], attributed to Solon by Scholia (at [prev. work]); χαλεπὸν ὁ βίος [Refs 5th c.BC+]infinitive active or middle, χαλεπή τοι ἐγὼ μένος ἀντιφέρεσθαι, = {χαλεπόν ἐστί μοι ἀντιφέρεσθαί σοι}, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; χαλεπὸν δέ τ᾽ ὀρύσσειν [τὸ μῶλυ] [Refs 8th c.BC+]; χ. συγγενέσθαι, εὑρεῖν, γενέσθαι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also with infinitive passive, χαλεπὸς διαγνωσθῆναι καὶ δειχθῆναι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χαλεπόν [ἐστι] with infinitive, 'tis hard, difficult to do, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; with accusative et infinitive, 'tis difficult for one to do.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]: with dative et infinitive, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
I.3. dangerous, λιμένες [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.4. of ground, difficult, rugged, χωρία χ. καὶ πετρώδη [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χωρίον -ώτατον a place most difficult to take, [Refs]
II. of persons, hard to deal with, cruel, harsh, stern (opposed to πρᾷος, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; -ώτερος a more bitter enemy, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; -ώτατοι most difficult to deal with, most dangerous or troublesome, [Refs 4th c.BC+]: with dative person, cruel or harsh towards one, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους, τοὺς ἀγνῶτας, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. b of words, χαλεπῷ ἠνίπαπε μύθῳ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; χ. ὀνείδεα, ὁμοκλαί, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II. c especially of judges, ἦν τὸ δίκαιον φυλάσσων χ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; νόμοι [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II. d savage, fierce, κύνες [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of bees, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; [θηρία] χ. τὰς φύσεις [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.2. ill-tempered, testy, χ. ὢν καὶ δύσκολος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χαλεπῇ τῇ χειρί with a rough hand, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.3. of plants, hurtful to the soil, [Refs 4th c.BC+] __B adverb -πῶς hardly, with difficulty, διαγνῶναι χ. ἦν ἄνδρα ἕκαστον [Refs 8th c.BC+] οὐ or μὴ χ. without much ado, [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.2 hardly, scarcely, δοκέω.. χ. ἂν Ἕλληνας Πέρσῃσι μάχεσθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.3 χ. ἔχει, ={χαλεπόν ἐστι}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with accusative et infinitive, [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.4 painfully, miserably, -ώτερον ζῆν [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.II of persons, angrily, cruelly, harshly, χ. τιμωρεῖσθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χ. φέρειν τι take it ill, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also χ. ἔφερον τῷ πολέμῳ, τοῖς πράγμασιν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the laws [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.II.2 frequently in the phrase χ. ἔχειν to be angry, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τινι with one, [Refs 5th c.BC+] χ. ἔχειν τισὶν ἐπί τινι with persons for a thing, [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.II.2.b χ. ἔχειν, also, to be in a bad way, χ. ἔχω ὑπὸ τοῦ πότου [Refs 5th c.BC+]— Beside the regular comparative χαλεπώτερον [Refs 5th c.BC+] we have -ωτέρως[Refs 5th c.BC+]: superlative -ώτατα[Refs 5th c.BC+]