Challenging
Challenging adjective - Requiring considerable physical or mental effort.
Usage example: an exceptionally challenging brainteaser
Hard is a synonym for challenging in difficult topic. In some cases you can use "Hard" instead an adjective "Challenging".
Hard
Hard adjective - Requiring considerable physical or mental effort.
Usage example: a hard exam to pass
Challenging is a synonym for hard in difficult topic. You can use "Challenging" instead an adjective "Hard".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
- Hard mode is even harder, but it's still possible - just challenging- to get A ranks and S ranks.
Source: Nintendo Hard / Beat'em Ups -
Nintendo Hard: The rail shooting parts of the game were designed to be challenging for a PC with a mouse, and can get impossibly difficult for other input methods.
Source: Video Game / Cyberia - The game itself is not unreasonably hard; the last few races are challenging, but certainly winnable.
Source: Nintendo Hard / Racing Games
Cite this Source
Hard and Challenging. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/challenging/hard
Challenging & Hard. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/challenging/hard>.
Hard or Challenging. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/challenging/hard.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "challenging" and "hard" have occurred on timeline