challenging

[chal-in-jing]

adjective

1. offering a challenge; testing one's ability, endurance, etc.

   a challenging course;

   a challenging game.

2. stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking.

   a challenging suggestion.

3. provocative; intriguing.

   a challenging smile.

ˈchallenging

/ ˈtʃælɪndʒɪŋ /

adjective

1. demanding or stimulating

   a challenging new job

Other Word Forms

• challengingly adverb
• nonchallenging adjective
• unchallenging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of challenging¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, as a gerund; 1835–45 for sense of "testing one's ability"; challenge ( def. ), -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Halligan’s go-it-alone approach may prove challenging as the cases proceed, experts said, as she will have to counter a flurry of defense motions while juggling her work leading the office.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Their many overlapping light patterns make them extremely challenging to model or design for practical purposes.

Read more on Science Daily

Sediment analysis confirmed the existence of these ancient water sources, which would have provided essential support for human groups venturing into the desert interior and allowed them to survive in this challenging environment.

Read more on Science Daily

Two major unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, had filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Vought's announced plans to carry out layoffs during the shutdown.

Read more on BBC

It also says that, across the industry, “new innovative finance structures and off-balance-sheet partnerships” are making it “challenging to evaluate the risks.”

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• ambitious 
• arduous 
• burdensome 
• crucial 
• demanding 
• laborious 
• onerous 
• painful 
• problematic 
• severe 
• strenuous 
• tough 
• troublesome