challenging

[ chal-in-jing ]

adjective

1. offering a challenge; testing one's ability, endurance, etc:

   a challenging course;

   a challenging game.

2. stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking:

   a challenging suggestion.

3. provocative; intriguing:

   a challenging smile.

ˈchallenging

/ ˈtʃælɪndʒɪŋ /

adjective

1. demanding or stimulating

   a challenging new job

Other Words From

• challeng·ing·ly adverb
• non·challeng·ing adjective
• un·challeng·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of challenging¹

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

"The Y chromosome has many sections that repeat, and even some that are palindromes -- the same forwards and backwards. It makes it challenging to understand which genes are encoded there," Cothran explained.

From Science Daily

“When we’re really emotionally stimulated, it makes it so much more challenging to have civil conversation. For politicians, I think that’s powerful, because emotions can be very easily manipulated.”

From Los Angeles Times

“We have to deal with them, and absent the ordinance, it would be challenging for us.”

From Los Angeles Times

He acknowledged that stopping people-smuggling gangs was "an incredibly complex and challenging problem" but said he was aiming to disrupt their business models.

From BBC

However, because air in the boundary layer interacts with land, the ocean, and everything else at surface level, modeling it is especially challenging.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• ambitious
• arduous
• burdensome
• challenging
• crucial
• demanding
• laborious
• onerous
• painful
• problematic
• severe
• strenuous
• tough
• troublesome