Challenging
Challenging adjective - Requiring considerable physical or mental effort.
Usage example: an exceptionally challenging brainteaser
Tricky and challenging are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Tricky" instead an adjective "Challenging".
Tricky
Tricky adjective - Requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling.
Challenging and tricky are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Challenging" instead an adjective "Tricky".
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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This makes the game more challenging, because maintaining a high enough population to achieve the scenario goals while everybody hates you is quite tricky.
Source: 0% Approval Rating -
Nintendo Hard: The game can be rather challenging, owing to tricky controls and Check Point Starvation.
- It managed to keep the Man of Steel Nigh Invulnerable (through a ridiculous regeneration rate) but kept the game very challenging with tricky mission objectives.
Cite this Source
Tricky and Challenging. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/challenging/tricky
Challenging & Tricky. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/challenging/tricky>.
Tricky or Challenging. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/challenging/tricky.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "challenging" and "tricky" have occurred on timeline