challenging

adjective

chal·​leng·​ing ˈcha-lən-jiŋ 

1

: arousing competitive interest, thought, or action

a challenging course of study

a challenging job

2

: invitingly provocative : fascinating

a challenging personality

challenging questions

challengingly

ˈcha-lən-jiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of challenging

• difficult
• tough
• rigorous
• demanding
• hard

Examples of challenging in a Sentence

I find the job challenging and fun.

Teaching is challenging but rewarding work.

It's a challenging book that requires careful reading.

The slope was challenging for even the most experienced climbers.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, building sovereign compute is challenging, requiring significant capital, specialized maintenance staff, and long deployment times. — Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

The new configuration makes the district more challenging for Moskowitz to win a third term. — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2026

Mission-ready quadruped The DEEP Robotics X30, on which both pulse and canon robots are based, is designed for demanding industrial environments, combining advanced mobility, perception, and endurance to perform inspections and emergency response tasks in challenging conditions. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 June 2026

Those experiences taught me that the reality of Ebola is simultaneously less sensational and far more challenging than most people imagine. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 26 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see challenge entry 1

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1