challenging
Americanadjective
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offering a challenge; testing one's ability, endurance, etc.
a challenging course;
a challenging game.
-
stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking.
a challenging suggestion.
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provocative; intriguing.
a challenging smile.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of challenging
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, as a gerund; 1835–45 for sense of "testing one's ability"; see challenge ( def. ), -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
If something is challenging, you better bring your "A game." It isn't going to be easy but you will get to test your skills as you push yourself, like completing a challenging crossword puzzle or a challenging hike up a mountain. Another meaning of challenging is "causing to question values or assumptions," like a challenging movie that makes you re-evaluate your attitude about something. In other words, it challenges what you believe. People sometimes use challenging as a polite — and far more positive — substitute for troublesome or problematic, as in, "This challenging situation will require everyone's patience."
Vocabulary lists containing challenging
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 11-20
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Towers Falling
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Persuasive and Assertive Tones
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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.
Though “Morbid” spends much of its time challenging anti-aging myths, the book and its author nevertheless admit that the aging process remains a mystery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
More than 20,000 people have signed a petition calling for a review of an A‑level maths paper that they say was significantly more challenging than any past exam.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The financing environment has also become more challenging because Strategy’s stock now trades at a discount to the bitcoin it holds, he added.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
In our own journeys as queer individuals of faith, we have been questioned and criticized for our sexuality, our spirituality and our challenging of traditional Christian norms.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
The predictable response is that civil rights advocates are as committed to challenging mass incarceration and other forms of structural racism as they are to preserving affirmative action.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
