Challenge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪnd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. A task or situation that tests someone's abilities and requires effort or skill to overcome
2. An invitation to compete or prove one's ability, a demanding situation that calls for determination, an objection raised to dispute a claim or decision
3. A demanding situation or task that requires skill or effort ; a call or invitation to participate in a contest or demonstrate capability ; an act of questioning or rejecting the validity of a statement or ruling

Etymology: Few English words have travelled further from their meaning than this one. "Challenge" began as a legal word for an accusation. In Latin, "calumnia" meant a false accusation or trickery, and it passed through Old French forms like "chalenge" and "chalonge" into Middle English as "kalange," meaning a claim or accusation. Medieval courts were its natural home, where one party's formal claim could be contested by another. The modern sense of a demanding task grew out of the idea of calling someone out. To challenge a person was to summon them to answer a claim, often by combat or a formal dispute, and the move from accusation to test of strength followed naturally. A contest was a challenge, and so was anything that tested your ability to meet it. The word has a surprising cousin: "calumny" comes from the same Latin source, and it kept the sense of false accusation that "challenge" gradually shed. Both descend from "calumnia," so one now means a slander and the other a test of skill.

Synonyms: test, trial, obstacle, difficulty, provocation

Antonyms: assurance, comfort, ease, peace, certainty