challenging 1 of 2

adjective

ˈcha-lən-jiŋ How to pronounce challenging (audio)
Definition of challengingnext
1
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort an exceptionally challenging brainteaser

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

challenging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of challenge
1
as in questioning
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of don't hesitate to challenge any statement that generalizes about people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in daring
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat I challenge you to swim to the other side of the pond

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in requiring
to have as a requirement having to put up with an overbearing boss challenges forbearance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of challenging
Adjective
Tyson Foods said consumer caution around discretionary spending has created a more challenging food service demand environment. — Dylan Sherman, Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2026 Moreover, Hill — who rejoined Swoosh in October 2024 as the new CEO — is facing geopolitical and macroeconomic factors that are just as challenging. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
Saturday’s racing took place in light airs, challenging all the crews to work hard to keep their delicate F50s foiling above the water. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026 The teachers made political donations to candidates challenging school board incumbents. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for challenging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenging
  1. difficult
  2. demanding
  3. questioning
  4. daring
  5. requiring
  6. tough
  7. contesting
  8. needing
Adjective
  • Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • That night, somewhere between a racist stranger, a free dessert, my girlfriend publicly shaming a man in a Mediterranean restaurant and our demanding cat, the City of Angels started to feel like home.
    — Mayur Chauhan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • And the longer or more demanding the workout, the more important such fuel becomes.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of demanding
Verb
  • Missouri Supreme Court judges, while questioning a state attorney representing Hoskins, repeatedly pressed for Hoskins to send out guidance Thursday to use the 2022 version of the congressional districts.
    — DAVID A. LIEB, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Economists balked at the proposal, questioning whether any future Congress, regardless of party control, would pass a plan that would balloon the national debt and annual deficit.
    — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of questioning
Verb
  • The offense still needs work in the pass game, but if teams play like Wisconsin did, basically daring Notre Dame to run the ball and take checkdowns in the pass game, Carr can play that way too.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Your daring teen will love the waterslides and surf simulator, and your littles will enjoy the splash pads.
    — Alesa Andrew, Parents, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of daring
Verb
  • The convention comes just after Labor Day, as the campaign season kicks off in earnest, requiring candidates to take time away from talking to voters less than two months before Election Day.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Another key revision would stop requiring the government to automatically categorize people who identify with Middle Eastern or North African groups as white.
    — Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of requiring
Adjective
  • Competing in a Grand Tour is one of sport’s toughest endurance tests.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Trump used several minutes of his speech to praise Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is in a tough Senate race in America's largest red state.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of tough
Verb
  • For the Champions League and Europa League, there are eight rounds of fixtures played, with the 36 teams contesting in a league table format.
    — Leon Imber, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Every hour spent contesting the story of one difficult day is one not spent on the fight that will determine what the next decade of diabetes research looks like.
    — Charles "Chuck" Henderson, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of contesting
Verb
  • The Big Ten enters this week largely unscathed after Week 1, with 15 of its teams winning in regulation, another needing assistance from clock operators and two falling considerably short.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Besides needing to accommodate numerous reentries from SpaceX’s and Blue Origin’s multi-use rockets, another type to consider comes from Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser space plane, which recently gained new contracts for its inaugural orbital flight.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of needing

Browse Nearby Words

challenges
challenging
chamber
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Challenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenging. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All