challenged

verb

Definition of challengednext
past tense of challenge
1
as in questioned
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of don't hesitate to challenge any statement that generalizes about people

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dared
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat I challenge you to swim to the other side of the pond

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3
as in required
to have as a requirement having to put up with an overbearing boss challenges forbearance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of challenged Tripp Gibson, James Hoye, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales all were challenged twice and confirmed twice. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The archaic legal restrictions restricting same-sex couples or unmarried women, for example, are acknowledged and adhered to, rather than being openly challenged or criticized. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 In 1824, the British lockmaker Charles Chubb challenged a burglar, who was imprisoned on a ship, to open one of his toughest locks. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026 Makeup has been more challenged for the company, with sales up 2 percent for the year and 3 percent in the fourth quarter. — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Videos filmed from multiple angles challenged the administration’s narrative. — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 Voting rights groups had challenged the effort, noting federal data includes errors that have led to citizens being wrongly removed from electoral rolls. — Patrick Marley, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 So, even after presenting information that challenged the accusations against her fans, Cox still owed the people making those accusations a more accommodating response, according to Spain. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The Arkansas ban is being held up in court after CVS challenged the constitutionality of the law. — Blake Farmer, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenged
  1. questioned
  2. dared
  3. required
  4. contested
  5. needed
  6. disputed
  7. wanted
  8. took
Verb
  • But on Monday, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan likened many of the investors drawn to the AI boom to gamblers and questioned the economics of AI labs as Wall Street debates whether the AI bubble will burst.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The child's mother was taken into custody at the hospital and is being questioned by police, according to the NYPD.
    — Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of questioned
Verb
  • To get her father and his siblings to offer answers to questions no one had ever dared ask in the past until Duong’s cameras rolled, an inventive hybrid documentary-narrative model was hatched for the film.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In Cuba, for instance, the single format is dominant, and very few artists have dared to create a true concept album.
    — Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of dared
Verb
  • The company identifies Time-to-Skill—the time required to teach a robot a task and achieve reliable execution—as a key measure of progress.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Eight finalists will compete in a series of challenges inspired by the skills required to make each and every order.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of required
Verb
  • The analysis was conducted in states where the statewide midterm primary with the most votes was contested by more than one candidate for both parties in 2026 going back to 2006.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Workers and their families staged a sitdown strike while the Korean Metal Workers’ Union contested the layoffs in court.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of contested
Verb
  • Others are skeptical the task force can accomplish much in such a short time period, arguing that eventually sweeping new legislation will be needed to regulate AI.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Items such as the coffee pots, dispensing nozzles for cappuccino and frazil machines must be washed and sanitized as needed.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of needed
Verb
  • No agents died in the real-life incident, and whether Good’s car ever posed a threat to her killer, Jonathan Ross, remains widely disputed.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Guilfoyle's team publicly disputed the authenticity of text messages Deters shared with multiple news outlets, including CBS News.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of disputed
Verb
  • Hernández said the group wanted to use the platform to bring further awareness to the struggles immigrants continue to face in this country with an audience that notably skews more American than Los Tigres is accustomed to.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Favreau wanted the vehicle bouncy, but not too fast or implausibly smooth.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of wanted
Verb
  • The Brewers took a 5-4 lead on Garrett Mitchell’s solo home run in the sixth inning and added an insurance run in the ninth on Hamilton’s bomb.
    — Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of took

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challenge
challenged
challenger
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Cite this Entry

“Challenged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenged. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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