challenged
Americanadjective
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Often Offensive. a euphemism for disabled (usually preceded by an adverb).
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deficient or lacking (usually preceded by an adverb or noun and used facetiously).
ethically challenged; math-challenged.
adjective
Sensitive Note
See disabled.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of challenged
An Americanism dating back to 1980–85; challenge ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While his legal fight was going on in Italy, another Ukrainian man called Volodymyr Zhuravlov successfully challenged Germany's extradition bid in a Polish court.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Xavier’s aunt, Elizabeth Amaya, said Tuesday that she challenged the finding of suicide because if not for the fight, she said, Xavier would not have fled the classroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Another man who lost his job collecting map data to AI challenged his employer in arbitration and won compensation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"Defendants shall not enter into, renew, or expand any agreement authorizing the development, creation, dissemination, placement, or airing of the challenged advertisements," Rochon said in the court order.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
She had never challenged her dad on climate change because she hated to argue.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
