- present participle of challenge.
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
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.
NYC Common Sense, a nonpartisan advocacy group, filed a lawsuit in June challenging Mr. Mamdani’s “directive ending criminal enforcement of e-bike violations” on behalf of safety advocates, “vulnerable pedestrians” and victims of this e-bike terror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Assessing opposition to the war is challenging due to censorship.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Measuring such slow circulation inside a living brain is especially challenging because researchers need methods that can observe the process without causing permanent damage.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
“It was going to be challenging to have it inside to begin with, but I was looking forward to it,” Polizzi said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
They committed themselves to the spirit and practice of nonviolent resistance as a means of challenging segregation in all its forms.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
