- present participle of daunt.
daunting
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Something daunting can scare you off. If you have a lot of studying to do, it may seem like a daunting task. Good news is you can get through it by working hard. Or weasel out of it by playing sick. Often used in the phrases “daunting prospect” and “daunting task,” daunting describes something that you are not looking forward to doing. Having to fill out complicated tax forms every year is a daunting task for many people. Once a daunting task is complete, you no longer describe it as daunting, but instead can call it a job well done, or at least another life experience survived.
Vocabulary lists containing daunting
The Alchemist
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 1
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Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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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.
Here, including the daunting high-speed, downhill Turn Seven known as Scheivlak, Norris was fastest, 0.28secs quicker than Russell.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
But what looks good on spreadsheets ignores daunting constraints.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
All this should help him make a success of his daunting role flying close to the sun.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The novel’s length is daunting, but the writing is swift and eventful, often expressed in coursing run-on sentences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Many had been separated from loved ones during the fire and now had the daunting task of searching through a ruined city for them.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
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.
