CHALLENGING Synonyms

• complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

• a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts

• a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

• (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior

• a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

• difficult to analyze or understand

• requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill

• not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

• hard to control

• having complicated nutritional requirements; especially growing only in special artificial cultures

• severe and unremitting in making demands

• requiring precise accuracy

• extremely impressive in strength or excellence

• inspiring fear

• not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

• dispassionate

• resisting weight or pressure

• produced without vibration of the vocal cords

• (of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source

• (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward or touching the velum

• with effort or force or vigor

• with firmness

• earnestly or intently

• causing great damage or hardship

• slowly and with difficulty

• indulging excessively

• into a solid condition

• very near or close in space or time

• with pain or distress or bitterness

• to the full extent possible; all the way

• very strong or vigorous

• characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

• given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors

• being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content

• unfortunate or hard to bear

• dried out

• having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate

• characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

• not easily borne; wearing

• open to doubt or debate

• making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe

• characterized by or performed with much energy or force

• taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance

• not easily borne; wearing

• not given to gentleness or sentimentality

• physically toughened

• resistant to cutting or chewing

• someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

• an aggressive and violent young criminal

• a cruel and brutal fellow

• very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution

• substantially made or constructed

• violent and lawless

• feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')

• unfortunate or hard to bear

• making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe

• the upward slope of a hill

• against difficulties

• upward on a hill or incline

• sloping upward

• extremely annoying or displeasing

• causing irritation or annoyance

• a disagreement or argument about something important

• coming into conflict with

• take exception to

• have a disagreement over something

• take exception to

• raise a formal objection in a court of law