challenging
adjective
\
Definition of challenging
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from challenging
\
adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for challenging
Synonyms
arduous, Augean, backbreaking, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), hard, heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphill
Antonyms
cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of challenging in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mina Starsiak Hawk is facing her most challenging moment of motherhood yet. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'Good Bones’ Star Mina Starsiak Hawk's 11-Month-Old Son Just Had an Operation," 9 July 2019 The vacancy in a key management position comes at a challenging time for Cardinal. — Nina Trentmann, WSJ, "Drug Distributor Cardinal Health Faces Recruitment Challenge as CFO Departs," 8 July 2019 These financial burdens come at a challenging time. — Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Poway’s Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein: a brush with death leads to a new life," 7 July 2019 As a technology leader, feeling confident in determining the crucial 20% emerges as the most challenging aspect of applying the rule. — Teresa Dietrich, Quartz at Work, "How to stay focused on the business decisions that matter most," 26 June 2019 Lawsuits challenging conditions inside California’s crowded prisons resulted in a fixed cap on the inmate population, one imposed by federal judges in 2009 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 and again in 2013. — John Myers, latimes.com, "California ends its long, costly shift of prisoners to other states," 30 June 2019 Middle school is such a challenging time in kids’ lives. — Janice Steinhagen, courant.com, "Griswold Teacher To Ride The Rails With NEH Fellowship," 28 June 2019 Imagine, for a moment, that a member of your family were marching through a challenging time -- battling in the aftermath of trauma, suffering from depression, slipping into poverty after losing a job, or dealing with divorce. — Leila Atassi, cleveland.com, "Volunteer for Open Table to changes lives – including your own. Training starts in July: A Greater Cleveland," 27 June 2019 The fire comes at a challenging time, just before summer season launches this weekend. — Laylan Connelly, The Mercury News, "Iconic lifeguard tower burns at the Wedge surf spot," 21 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'challenging.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for challenging
challenging
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of challenging
See the full definition for challenging in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on challenging
What made you want to look up challenging? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
-
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
-
Farm Idioms Quiz
Not your children's farm quiz.
Take the quiz -
Up in the Sky: A Quiz
It's a bird? It's a plane? No, I'm really asking. What is it?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share challenging
Resources for challenging