30 Other Ways to Say “It’s Challenging” (With Examples)

Finding the right words to describe a difficult situation can enhance communication in both professional and personal settings. Phrasing things with precision shows a clear understanding and can lead to more effective collaboration and problem-solving.

Instead of simply saying “It’s challenging,” you can use a variety of alternatives that carry the same core meaning but feel more specific and insightful. Here are 30 thoughtful ways to convey the nature of a difficulty, with examples that apply to everything from complex projects to brain-teasing puzzles.

The Sweet Side of “It’s Challenging”: A Crossword Clue Story

Finding the perfect word for a situation is a fun challenge, much like solving a great crossword clue. It’s a sweet mental workout!

If you enjoy puzzles, you’ve probably seen how clever the world’s most popular crosswords are, like the New York Times Crossword, 7 Little Words, or the Wall Street Journal puzzle. The puzzle makers are masters at using smart, alternative words to challenge you. These daily puzzles are a fantastic exercise for your mind.

And here’s a cool tip for you: Daze Puzzle is the first official resource in the world that publishes all the answers to these puzzles every single day. So, if you ever get stuck on a clue and are looking for an answer, for example, if you’re looking for the nyt mini crossword answers for today’s puzzle, you know exactly where to find it.

What Does “It’s Challenging” Mean?

“It’s challenging” is a phrase used to describe a task, situation, or problem that tests one’s abilities and is difficult to accomplish. It implies that success requires significant effort, skill, or determination. While it’s a useful and common expression, its broadness can sometimes fail to capture the specific type of difficulty involved.

Is It Professional/Polite to Say “It’s Challenging”?

Absolutely. In professional settings, describing something as “challenging” is perfectly polite and standard. It frames the difficulty in a positive light, suggesting an opportunity for growth rather than an insurmountable obstacle. However, in certain contexts, using a more specific synonym can demonstrate a stronger command of language and provide clearer insight into the nature of the problem.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Saying “It’s Challenging”

Advantage:

• It is a universally understood phrase that is safe for any context.
• It frames difficulty positively, focusing on the test of one’s abilities.
• It is a respectful way to acknowledge that a task is not easy.

Disadvantage:

• It can sound generic or cliché due to overuse.
• It lacks specificity, failing to distinguish between a task that is complex, tedious, or requires great effort.

1. “This one is tough.”

Meaning: This phrase directly and informally refers to the difficulty of a situation or task.

Definition: Requiring considerable effort, strength, or endurance.

Explanation: “Tough” is a powerful and versatile word that effectively conveys a sense of difficulty without being overly complex. It’s suitable for a quick and clear statement about a problem.

Best Use: In daily conversations with colleagues or friends, when you want to state that something is hard without any preamble.

Tone: Direct, informal, determined.

2. “This looks tricky.”

Meaning: Indicates that a task may be deceptive and requires precision or cleverness to complete.

Definition: Requiring skill or careful handling due to complexity or an apparent deception.

Explanation: “Tricky” implies that the problem isn’t just about being hard, but about a hidden “catch” or detail that needs to be discovered.

Best Use: For puzzles, technical issues that need troubleshooting, or negotiations that require finesse.

Tone: Inquisitive, analytical, slightly cautious.

3. “It’s pretty demanding.”

Meaning: This task requires a significant amount of your resources (time, energy, attention).

Definition: Requiring much skill, effort, or attention.

Explanation: “Demanding” suggests that the challenge will tire you out and requires a high level of commitment.

Best Use: For describing a job position, a time-consuming project, or a high-maintenance boss.

Tone: Serious, professional, indicative of work pressure.

4. “That was intense.”

Meaning: Indicates a very condensed experience filled with excitement or pressure.

Definition: Of extreme force, degree, or strength.

Explanation: “Intense” is more about describing the feeling of a situation rather than the task itself. It suggests high psychological pressure or a rapid pace of events.

Best Use: After a brainstorming session, a competitive sport, or a tense negotiation.

Tone: Energetic, slightly exhausted, impressed.

5. “This seems complex.”

Meaning: This situation has multiple interconnected components and layers.

Definition: Consisting of many different and connected parts.

Explanation: “Complex” points to structural intricacy. It means the problem is made up of several different parts that must all be considered.

Best Use: For software systems, organizational problems, or multifaceted strategies.

Tone: Analytical, thoughtful, serious.

6. “It’s very difficult.”

Meaning: A standard and slightly more formal way to express that a task is hard.

Definition: Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.

Explanation: “Difficult” is a general and universally understood word that clearly expresses the degree of hardness, and it’s slightly more formal than “hard.”

Best Use: In professional and formal settings, emails, and reports.

Tone: Formal, polite, clear.

7. “This feels hard.”

Meaning: Expresses a personal, sensory perception of a situation’s difficulty.

Definition: Done with a great deal of effort.

Explanation: Using “feels” makes the phrase more personal, indicating that this is your perception of the difficulty, which might be different for others.

Best Use: In friendly conversations and for expressing personal feelings about a task.

Tone: Personal, sincere, informal.

8. “That sounds strenuous.”

Meaning: This task seems very exhausting and requires great physical or mental effort.

Definition: Requiring or using great exertion.

Explanation: “Strenuous” emphasizes the exhausting and energy-consuming aspect of the challenge.

Best Use: For describing heavy workouts, tough physical jobs, or projects requiring non-stop mental work.

Tone: Empathetic, slightly concerned, conveying fatigue.

9. “A formidable task.”

Meaning: This is a duty that inspires respect or even fear due to its size or difficulty.

Definition: Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable.

Explanation: “Formidable” elevates a challenge from merely “hard” to “imposing and noteworthy.”

Best Use: For describing powerful competitors, massive goals, or serious obstacles.

Tone: Respectful, serious, slightly intimidated.

10. “This could be tiring.”

Meaning: Doing this will likely take a lot of energy and cause fatigue.

Definition: Causing one to feel in need of rest or sleep.

Explanation: This phrase focuses more on the end result of the work (fatigue) rather than the process itself.

Best Use: For repetitive, long tasks or duties that require constant focus.

Tone: Predictive, realistic, slightly reluctant.

11. “This is quite tricky.”

Meaning: A more emphatic version of “tricky” that shows the level of deception and need for precision is high.

Definition: Significantly requiring skill and careful management.

Explanation: Adding “quite” emphasizes the surprising and complicated aspect of the challenge.

Best Use: When a problem seems simple at first but proves to be more complex in practice.

Tone: Slightly surprised, analytical, focused.

12. “It’s a tough one.”

Meaning: A common and conversational way to identify a specific problem as being difficult.

Definition: A particular instance or example that is difficult.

Explanation: This phrase has a friendly and informal feel, as if you and the listener are both examining a shared problem.

Best Use: While solving an issue with others, like a group puzzle or a technical problem.

Tone: Conversational, friendly, collaborative.

13. “This needs some work.”

Meaning: An indirect and polite phrase stating that the current situation is not good enough and requires effort and improvement.

Definition: Requiring effort to achieve a desired state or standard.

Explanation: This is a constructive way to express that there is a problem without sounding too negative.

Best Use: For giving feedback on a draft, a preliminary design, or a work in progress.

Tone: Diplomatic, constructive, professional.

14. “It’s no simple task.”

Meaning: By negating simplicity, it emphasizes the complexity and difficulty of the job.

Definition: A task that is not simple; meaning it is complicated or difficult.

Explanation: This is a smart way to manage expectations, letting others know they shouldn’t expect a quick solution.

Best Use: At the beginning of a project or task to clarify its difficulty level.

Tone: Realistic, serious, cautionary.

15. “This is a real test.”

Meaning: This situation is a true test of our skills, patience, or abilities.

Definition: A situation that reveals the quality or performance of something.

Explanation: This phrase frames the challenge as an opportunity to prove one’s capability.

Best Use: For critical situations, tight deadlines, or tasks that demand your best performance.

Tone: Motivating, serious, determined.

16. “It takes some effort.”

Meaning: Completing this requires spending a certain amount of effort and energy.

Definition: Requiring the use of physical or mental power.

Explanation: This is a mild and understated way to express the need for work, less intense than “a lot of effort.”

Best Use: When you want to say something is hard but don’t want to exaggerate.

Tone: Realistic, mild, informal.

17. “It’s a bit of a puzzle.”

Meaning: This situation is like a riddle and requires thinking and finding different pieces.

Definition: Something that is confusing or difficult to understand because of its complexity.

Explanation: This phrase likens the challenge to a brain game, which can make it seem more engaging and less daunting.

Best Use: For technical problems, strategic issues, or anything that requires piecing information together.

Tone: Curious, playful, analytical.

18. “This isn’t easy.”

Meaning: A direct and clear phrase to state that a task is not simple.

Definition: Not achieved with ease.

Explanation: Similar to “It’s difficult” but with a slightly different and more conversational structure.

Best Use: In any daily conversation to clearly state the level of difficulty.

Tone: Direct, honest, straightforward.

19. “It’s quite involved.”

Meaning: This task has many details and steps, with its own set of complexities.

Definition: Complicated and detailed.

Explanation: “Involved” indicates that to do the job, you must get caught up in many details and it cannot be done simply.

Best Use: For describing processes, multi-stage projects, or tasks with many technical details.

Tone: Professional, precise, knowledgeable.

20. “This requires focus.”

Meaning: Successfully completing this task requires full concentration and no distractions.

Definition: Requiring the complete direction of attention to a specific subject.

Explanation: This phrase clarifies that the difficulty lies in the need for high concentration, not necessarily in technical complexity.

Best Use: For detailed work like editing text, coding, or data analysis.

Tone: Focused, serious, professional.

21. “This will require our full attention.”

Meaning: A more formal and emphatic phrase stating that we must direct all our concentration and awareness to this task.

Definition: Requiring the complete allocation of mental resources.

Explanation: Using “full attention” emphasizes the importance and sensitivity of the subject.

Best Use: At the start of an important meeting, a critical project, or when reviewing a serious problem.

Tone: Formal, serious, decisive.

22. “We need a smart approach for this.”

Meaning: To solve this problem, we can’t use conventional methods and must act more intelligently.

Definition: Requiring a clever, creative, or efficient method.

Explanation: This phrase indicates that the challenge is more strategic than operational and needs an innovative solution.

Best Use: In brainstorming sessions, when facing an obstacle, or to challenge traditional methods.

Tone: Strategic, creative, forward-thinking.

23. “This is proving to be more difficult.”

Meaning: This task is harder in practice than it initially seemed.

Definition: Revealing or demonstrating a higher degree of difficulty over time.

Explanation: This phrase is excellent for reporting status and updating others about an unexpected challenge.

Best Use: In project progress reports or when a new problem arises during work.

Tone: Realistic, slightly surprised, informative.

24. “This is more complex than I first thought.”

Meaning: The complexity of this issue is greater than my initial assessment.

Definition: Having more layers and details than originally perceived.

Explanation: An honest way to admit that your initial assessment was simplistic and you now have a deeper understanding of the problem.

Best Use: To explain the need for more time or resources for a task.

Tone: Honest, analytical, humble.

25. “This is a true test of our skills.”

Meaning: A stronger version of “This is a real test,” indicating that this challenge puts our core and professional abilities to the test.

Definition: A genuine evaluation of the level of expertise and capability.

Explanation: This phrase transforms the challenge into an opportunity to shine and display skill.

Best Use: To motivate a team before starting a tough job or presenting an important project.

Tone: Motivating, inspiring, leadership-oriented.

26. “We’ll have to think outside the box here.”

Meaning: The solution to this problem is not within the framework of usual methods, and we must be creative.

Definition: To think beyond conventional and traditional ways.

Explanation: This is a common and positive phrase to encourage innovation and finding unexpected solutions.

Best Use: In creativity sessions, problem-solving, or when standard methods have failed.

Tone: Creative, innovative, positive.

27. “This is not for the faint of heart.”

Meaning: An idiom saying this job is not suitable for timid people or those who give up easily.

Definition: Not suitable for those who lack courage or resolve.

Explanation: This phrase indirectly emphasizes the difficulty and need for courage and endurance, and has a slightly dramatic flair.

Best Use: To describe high-risk, high-pressure, or intensely exhausting jobs in an exaggerated way.

Tone: Dramatic, cautionary, slightly humorous.

28. “This will separate the pros from the amateurs.”

Meaning: This challenge is so difficult that only professional and skilled individuals can handle it.

Definition: A benchmark that reveals the difference between experts and beginners.

Explanation: This phrase is used to create a sense of competition and to emphasize the high level of skill required.

Best Use: In competitive environments, sports, or to motivate individuals to raise their level.

Tone: Competitive, motivating, slightly proud.

29. “This requires a great deal of skill.”

Meaning: Completing this task requires a high level of expertise and skill.

Definition: Requiring a significant amount of acquired ability to do something well.

Explanation: This phrase clearly states that the difficulty stems from the need for expertise, not from the volume of work.

Best Use: For describing specialized tasks like surgery, complex programming, or playing a difficult piece of music.

Tone: Professional, respectful, specific.

30. “This one really makes you think.”

Meaning: This item is so thought-provoking that it compels you to think deeply.

Definition: Stimulating deep cognitive and intellectual processes.

Explanation: This phrase presents the challenge as a positive and engaging mental activity.

Best Use: For describing a good puzzle, a philosophical question, or an interesting strategic problem.

Tone: Thoughtful, curious, positive.

Conclusion: Master Your Vocabulary, Master Your Challenges

Learning different ways to say “It’s challenging” is more than just a simple vocabulary exercise; it’s a powerful tool for thinking more clearly. The satisfying “click” you feel when you find the perfect word is the same feeling as finally solving that one tricky crossword clue. It’s no wonder that for over 60 years, major publications like The New York Times have delivered these daily puzzles, recognizing them as a timeless workout for sharpening our minds.

By choosing a word that accurately describes the nature of a difficulty whether it is perplexing, demanding, or laborious you can define the problem with greater clarity for yourself and others. This precision is often the first step toward finding a viable solution.

With these 30 alternatives in your toolkit, you can add depth and insight to your communication. The next time you’re faced with a tough situation, you’ll have the perfect word for it. And if you’re looking for enjoyable ways to embrace that classic, time-tested challenge and keep your problem-solving skills sharp, exploring daily puzzles can be a fantastic and rewarding start.