1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
an exceptionally challenging brainteaser
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demanding
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
a challenging test designed to whittle down the number of contestants
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in questioning
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
don't hesitate to challenge any statement that generalizes about people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in requiring
to have as a requirement
having to put up with an overbearing boss challenges forbearance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of challenging
Alice Park, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
View gallery - 4 images Construction robots have been around for a while, automating challenging tasks on job sites.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Her work has taken her to each of Kansas’ 105 counties, challenging her to help communities preserve their history and envision the revitalization of sleepy downtowns.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for challenging
Adjective
In an effort to lead by example, Koh was also more vocal about her own strategies for managing stress and navigating challenging tasks, which include using a Spring coach and therapists, as well as the company’s meditation and mindfulness apps.
—Alice Park, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
View gallery - 4 images Construction robots have been around for a while, automating challenging tasks on job sites.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Combs’ lead defense lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, explicitly told jurors in his closing argument that the defense wasn’t challenging the women’s claims of domestic violence.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Her work has taken her to each of Kansas’ 105 counties, challenging her to help communities preserve their history and envision the revitalization of sleepy downtowns.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for challenging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenging
Adjective
-
For once, the bulk of the anger was directed not at Fosun — the investment group and majority shareholder – and the Molineux hierarchy who have conspired to deal Pereira a difficult hand, but at the head coach himself and his players.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Romancelandia’s social world, harnessed by its business-minded authors, may make its success exceedingly difficult to replicate.—
Rebecca Ackermann,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The week before was so demanding with Manchester United, Napoli, and especially Arsenal.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Leaf raking is more eco-friendly as well as more physically demanding and time-consuming.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The club’s former general manager Pierpaolo Marino then poured fuel on the fire by questioning whether Scott McTominay should have been pushed out to the left of midfield to make way for summer arrival De Bruyne.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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He also was sought for questioning in a child abuse case, Ferrell said.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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All day, fans have been buzzing online, daring each other to out-scream every stop before them after Yeonjun teased that some crowds weren’t loud enough.—
Crystal Bell,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
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Rempe stood out in early scrimmages for his daring drives to the net and nonstop activity in the offensive zone, which has carried over into preseason games.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Bahari Makmur Sejati, requiring the firm to demonstrate remediation before resuming shipments.—
Matt Cannon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act into law, requiring AI companies to disclose their safety practices while stopping short of mandating actual safety testing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Lammens was perhaps fortunate to escape sanction then (Stuart Atwell booked the forward for diving), but this was a valuable occasion ahead of tougher tests, beginning at Anfield.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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There will be some tough picking in there, but typically the predicting business gets a little easier in region play.—
Tyler Palmateer,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another at the micro level is a lot of lopsided red and blue districts and very few purple ones, which means that precious few individual seats are likely to change hands, or even be worth contesting.—
Craig Gilbert,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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Diggs filed a response to the suit, contesting that the baby is his.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to The Information, OpenAI chief Sam Altman has floated eventually needing 250 gigawatts of electricity — equivalent to about a third of peak power consumption across the US.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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Through the first four weeks of the season, the Seattle Seahawks have one of the league’s best defenses despite needing to play various defensive back combinations because of injuries in the secondary.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Challenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenging. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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