challenging

adjective

chal·​leng·​ing ˈcha-lən-jiŋ How to pronounce challenging (audio)
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 adverb

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 Nio’s loss widens While Chinese EV makers are finding some success in overseas markets, Nio still makes most of its money from China, increasingly a challenging market thanks to an economic slowdown and intense competition. Rachel Ventresca, Fortune Asia, 7 June 2024 When faced with a challenging decision about his son's future, Max flees with Ezra, taking him on a transformative cross-country road trip that tests the bonds of their relationship. Ew Staff, EW.com, 7 June 2024 The upshot for Amazon customer service employees is that accomplishing day-to-day tasks is more challenging, and often accompanied by abuse. Seamus Webster, Fortune, 6 June 2024 Some legacy media executives likely have daydreams about exiting the news business as the path to profitability becomes more challenging. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for challenging 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'challenging.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see challenge entry 1

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of challenging was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near challenging

Cite this Entry

“Challenging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/challenging. Accessed 12 Jun. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on challenging

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