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

As a result, the current housing data points to a challenging housing market for sellers who are forced to choose between two unappealing options.

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Use of gene therapies becomes more challenging as patients age and grow, because treating them often requires higher doses of the inactivated viruses used to deliver the replacement genes.

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The climbdowns meant Reeves would have to look to tax rises or other spending cuts to meet her financial rules - making her upcoming Budget even more challenging.

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Because you lack any paperwork, establishing the correct basis is challenging.

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There is less data than for the other groups as finding healthy brains to scan was more challenging.

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Related Words

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