Challenging — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈcha-lən-jiŋ/ chal·leng·ing

Meaning & Definition of Challenging

Challenging (adjective)

  1. arousing competitive interest, thought, or action
  2. invitingly provocative, fascinating

Challenging (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. requiring considerable physical or mental effort

    "an exceptionally challenging brainteaser"

    similar: arduous, Augean, backbreaking, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphill
    related: abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic, recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky, bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying, annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious, grievous, grim, strict, stringent, brutal, cruel, inhuman, painful
    opposite: cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding
    near: achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated, comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing, accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendly

  2. requiring much time, effort, or careful attention

    "a challenging test designed to whittle down the number of contestants"

    similar: arduous, burdensome, demanding, exacting, grueling, killing, laborious, onerous, persnickety, taxing, toilsome
    related: difficult, formidable, hard, herculean, rough, rugged, stiff, strenuous, testing, tough, oppressive, trying, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict, stringent
    opposite: light, nondemanding, unchallenging, undemanding
    near: easy, effortless, facile, simple, smooth

Challenging (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to demand proof of the truth or rightness of

    "don't hesitate to challenge any statement that generalizes about people"

    similar: contesting, disputing, impeaching, oppugning, querying, questioning, calling in question
    related: doubting, mistrusting, kicking (about), objecting (to), protesting, combating, fighting, opposing, resisting
    opposite: accepting, believing, embracing, swallowing
    near: backing, defending, supporting, advocating, championing, promoting, abiding, enduring, stomaching, tolerating

  2. 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"

    similar: daring, defying, stumping
    related: bearding, braving, brazening, breasting, confronting, facing, outbraving, outfacing

  3. to have as a requirement

    "having to put up with an overbearing boss challenges forbearance"

    similar: bearing, claiming, demanding, necessitating, needing, requiring, taking, wanting, warranting, calling for
    related: entailing, involving, asking, begging, clamoring (for), crying (for), hurting (for), lacking, commanding, enjoining, exacting, insisting, pressing, questing, stipulating
    opposite: having, holding
    near: owning, possessing

Related Entry: Challenge (verb)

Challenge is a different word from Challenging. The synonyms below are for challenge, not for challenging.

  1. to demand proof of the truth or rightness of

    "don't hesitate to challenge any statement that generalizes about people"

    similar: contest, dispute, impeach, oppugn, query, question, call in question
    related: doubt, mistrust, kick (about), object (to), protest, combat, fight, oppose, resist
    opposite: accept, believe, embrace, swallow
    near: back, defend, support, advocate, champion, promote, abide, endure, stomach, tolerate

  2. 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"

    similar: dare, defy, stump
    related: beard, brave, brazen, breast, confront, face, outbrave, outface

  3. to have as a requirement

    "having to put up with an overbearing boss challenges forbearance"

    similar: bear, claim, demand, necessitate, need, require, take, want, warrant, call for
    related: entail, involve, ask, beg, clamor (for), cry (for), hurt (for), lack, command, enjoin, exact, insist, press, quest, stipulate
    opposite: have, hold
    near: own, possess

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Challenging

The most common words with a similar meaning to Challenging:

arduous, Augean, backbreaking, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphill, burdensome, killing, onerous, persnickety, taxing, contesting, disputing, impeaching, oppugning, querying

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Challenging

Words with the opposite meaning of Challenging:

cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding, nondemanding, unchallenging, accepting, believing, embracing, swallowing, having, holding

Related Words for Challenging

abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic, recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky, bruising, exhausting, labored, oppressive, stressful, tight, trying, annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome

Near Antonyms of Challenging

achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated, comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing, accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendly, backing, defending, supporting, advocating, championing, promoting, abiding, enduring, stomaching, tolerating, owning, possessing

Word Forms of Challenging

Derived words: challengingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Challenging

First known use: 1841

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Challenging

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenging

What does "Challenging" mean?

"Challenging" means arousing competitive interest, thought, or action. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: arousing competitive interest, thought, or action. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Challenging"?

Other words for "Challenging" include arduous, Augean, backbreaking, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting and formidable. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Challenging" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Challenging"?

There are 127 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Challenging". Common alternatives include arduous, Augean, backbreaking, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling and hard.

What is the opposite of "Challenging"?

Antonyms of "Challenging" include cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple and soft. Near antonyms include achievable, clear, doable and elementary.

How do you use "Challenging" in a sentence?

Examples of "Challenging" in a sentence: "an exceptionally challenging brainteaser"; "a challenging test designed to whittle down the number of contestants"; "don't hesitate to challenge any statement that generalizes about people".

Is "Challenging" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Challenging" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Challenging" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Challenging" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Challenging"?

"Challenging" is pronounced /ˈcha-lən-jiŋ/ and divided into syllables as chal·leng·ing.