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. )
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.
Looking forward, BMW said that despite an overall challenging market environment, it is confident that its product portfolio and the worldwide availability of Neue Klasse models will generate increasingly positive momentum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Engineering a functioning drop-down door, designed to mimic cinematic spacecraft entrances, proved particularly challenging.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
It turns out that being the internet’s good A.I. company is quite challenging.
From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026
New college grads are starting their adult lives in a challenging environment.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
In the town someone had stuck up a poster challenging people to solve a mathematical problem.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
