: tending to overwhelm or intimidate
a daunting task
Examples of daunting in a Sentence
Few things are more daunting than having to speak in front of a large crowd.
Shakespeare's plays can be daunting for a young reader.
Recent Examples on the Web
Colandrea is not overthinking his entry into the Big Ten or Nebraska’s daunting schedule.
—
Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Whipping up hash browns for a crowd can be a daunting task, but it can be done in advance.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
Deficits on the road, as Sturm pointed out, have been more daunting.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
The field Defending champion East Grand Forks isn’t in this week’s field, and Hibbing/Chisholm is the top seed after emerging from a daunting Section 7A tournament that also featured the likes of Hermantown and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
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Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Whipping up hash browns for a crowd can be a daunting task, but it can be done in advance.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
Deficits on the road, as Sturm pointed out, have been more daunting.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
The field Defending champion East Grand Forks isn’t in this week’s field, and Hibbing/Chisholm is the top seed after emerging from a daunting Section 7A tournament that also featured the likes of Hermantown and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for daunting
Cite this Entry
“Daunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daunting. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
daunting
adjective
daunt·ing
ˈdȯnt-iŋ 
: tending to overwhelm or intimidate
a daunting task
dauntingly
adverb
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