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 Words From

• challeng·ing·ly adverb
• non·challeng·ing adjective
• un·challeng·ing 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

A spokesperson for Teesside University said despite its "robust financial position" it was working to "mitigate against the increasingly challenging financial context".

From BBC

Mr Woods accepted it was challenging but said the department kept the closure to weekends.

From BBC

Ms King said she believed there had been a "lack of consistency" in the way it had dealt with challenging behaviour.

From BBC

Taylor Swift thanked her fans for making the Eras Tour "the most exciting, powerful, electrifying, intense, most challenging" experience of her life, as she played the closing show in Vancouver on Sunday.

From BBC

“We knew with the team we had, it was possible to go far. I play more on offense, but I enjoy defense — it’s more challenging and more creative.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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