CHALLENGING
ambitious, challenging
(adjective) requiring full use of your abilities or resources; “ambitious schedule”; “performed the most challenging task without a mistake”
challenging, intriguing
(adjective) disturbingly provocative; “an intriguing smile”
challenging, thought-provoking
(adjective) stimulating interest or thought; “a challenging hypothesis”; “a thought-provoking book”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
challenging
present participle of challenge
Adjective
challenging (comparative more challenging, superlative most challenging)
Difficult, hard to do.
Antonyms
• unchallenging
Noun
challenging (plural challengings)
The act of making a challenge.
Source: Wiktionary
CHALLENGE
Chal"lenge, n. Etym: [OE. chalenge claim, accusation, challenge, OF.
chalenge, chalonge, claim, accusation, contest, fr. L. calumnia false
accusation, chicanery. See Calumny.]
1. An invitation to engage in a contest or controversy of any kind; a
defiance; specifically, a summons to fight a duel; also, the letter
or message conveying the summons.
A challenge to controversy. Goldsmith.
2. The act of a sentry in halting any one who appears at his post,
and demanding the countersign.
3. A claim or demand. [Obs.]
There must be no challenge of superiority. Collier.
4. (Hunting)
Definition: The opening and crying of hounds at first finding the scent of
their game.
5. (Law)
Definition: An exception to a juror or to a member of a court martial,
coupled with a demand that he should be held incompetent to act; the
claim of a party that a certain person or persons shall not sit in
trial upon him or his cause. Blackstone
6. An exception to a person as not legally qualifed to vote. The
challenge must be made when the ballot is offered. [U. S.] Challenge
to the array (Law), an exception to the whole panel.
– Challenge to the favor, the alleging a special cause, the
sufficiency of which is to be left to those whose duty and office it
is to decide upon it.
– Challenge to the polls, an exception taken to any one or more of
the individual jurors returned.
– Peremptory challenge, a privilege sometimes allowed to
defendants, of challenging a certain number of jurors (fixed by
statute in different States) without assigning any cause.
– Principal challenge, that which the law allows to be sufficient
if found to be true.
Chal"lenge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Challenged; p. pr. & vb. n.
Challenging.] Etym: [OE. chalengen to accuse, claim, OF. chalengier,
chalongier, to claim, accuse, dispute, fr. L. calumniar to attack
with false accusations. See Challenge, n., and cf. Calumniate.]
1. To call to a contest of any kind; to call to answer; to defy.
I challenge any man to make any pretense to power by right of
fatherhood. Locke.
2. To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by personal
combat.
By this I challenge him to single fight. Shak.
3. To claim as due; to demand as a right.
Challenge better terms. Addison.
4. To censure; to blame. [Obs.]
He complained of the emperors . . . and challenged them for that he
had no greater revenues . . . from them. Holland.
5. (Mil.)
Definition: To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to
pass the lines); as, the sentinel challenged us, with "Who comes
there"
6. To take exception to; question; as, to challenge the accuracy of a
statement or of a quotation.
7. (Law)
Definition: To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or member of
a court.
8. To object to the reception of the vote of, as on the ground that
the person in not qualifed as a voter. [U. S.] To challenge to the
array, favor, polls. See under Challenge, n.
Chal"lenge, v. i.
Definition: To assert a right; to claim a place.
Where nature doth with merit challenge. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition