Finesentence

Challenge Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

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challenge

chal-lenge

🇺🇸 /ˈtʃæɫəndʒ/ · 🇬🇧 /tʃˈælɪndʒ/

Definitions

Context #1 | Noun

test

a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength.

Synonyms

competition, contest, duel.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
challenge

Use 'challenge' when referring to a task or situation that tests someone's abilities. It can also refer to an invitation to compete in a sport or a game.

  • Climbing Mount Everest is a huge challenge.
  • He challenged her to a chess match.
contest

Use 'contest' to refer to a competition, often involving voting or judged performance, to establish which participant is the best. It can be academic, artistic, or based on other skills.

  • He won the essay contest at school.
  • The singing contest was the highlight of the evening.
competition

Use 'competition' to describe an event or process in which people try to win something by being better than others. It implies a formal setting with rules.

  • The annual dance competition attracts participants from all over the country.
  • She has been training hard for the swimming competition.
duel

Use 'duel' when describing a formal fight between two people, typically with weapons, or metaphorically for a direct confrontation or face-off. It can have a negative connotation if implying personal conflict.

  • The two men decided to settle their differences with a duel.
  • The debate quickly turned into a verbal duel.

Examples of usage

  • he accepted the challenge
  • a boxing challenge
Context #2 | Verb

test

invite (someone) to engage in a contest.

Examples of usage

  • I challenge you to a game of chess
  • she challenged him to a race

Translations

To see the translation, please select a language from the options available.

Quick facts about “challenge”

Challenge is a 2-syllable noun and verb (chal-lenge). It is pronounced /ˈtʃæɫəndʒ/ in American English and /tʃˈælɪndʒ/ in British English. On finesentence.com it has 2 meanings, 3 synonyms, and translations into 21 languages. It ranks #2,205 among the most common English words.

Origin of 'challenge'

The word 'challenge' originated from the Old French word 'chalenge', which came from the Latin word 'calumnia', meaning 'false accusation, trickery'. Over time, the meaning evolved to its current form, representing a call to compete or engage in a contest.


See also: challenged, challenger, challengers, challenges, challenging, challengingly, unchallengeable, unchallenged.

Rhymes

Challenge rhymes with alonge.

See all rhymes →

Word Frequency Rank

At position #2,205, this word belongs to solid intermediate vocabulary. It's frequently used in both casual and formal contexts and is worth learning for better fluency.