challenging
Americanadjective
-
offering a challenge; testing one's ability, endurance, etc.
a challenging course;
a challenging game.
-
stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking.
a challenging suggestion.
-
provocative; intriguing.
a challenging smile.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- challengingly adverb
- nonchallenging adjective
- unchallenging adjective
Etymology
Origin of challenging
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“In the Arctic, if you have very challenging weather conditions and no line of sight, then jamming can be critical,” Andreassen said.
"Life isn't easy now, but I love it that way. When it's challenging my comfort zone I'm learning every day."
From BBC
Recovery efforts were under way on Saturday, in what officials described as an extremely challenging operation.
From BBC
Maybe if he took it from 10mm to eight it would have been a nice, challenging wicket, maybe a little bit more even.
From BBC
Riggs knew what he was doing in challenging King, a player whose public figure was tied into the ever-growing women's rights movement.
From BBC
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.
