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.
Canada and Mexico – traveling to locations in Europe, Asia, Oceania and South America — the sprint to the end, while still challenging, was suddenly manageable.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Reducing the global economy’s dependency on the Strait of Hormuz will be challenging, too.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
Stop Killing Games, a growing consumer rights campaign started by American YouTuber Ross Scott in 2024, is challenging that practice.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 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
Getting students to understand the musical differences between phrases is actually less challenging than you might imagine.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
