dauntingdaunt‧ing /ˈdɔːntɪŋ $ ˈdɒːn-/ ●○○ adjective 
The trip seemed rather daunting for a young girl. He’s got the daunting task of following in Ferguson’s footsteps. the daunting prospect of asking for a loan► see thesaurus at difficult
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Climbing Everest is a daunting challenge for any mountaineer.
- I was faced with the daunting task of learning the whole script in 24 hours.
- The interview process can be daunting.
- A daunting figure came looming out of the night.
- Excuses vary from difficulties in obtaining payment to the daunting prospect of completing export documentation.
- Few enterprises, it says, could have been faced with such a daunting task.
- Neil was devoted to Claudia, but he found Philip frankly daunting.
- Steve recently completed the daunting task of photographing 100 leading western philosophers.
- To give a full picture of this past is a daunting task, not within the scope of this book.
THESAURUS
not easy to do, understand, or deal with: · a difficult question· The homework was really difficult.· It is difficult to see how peace can be achieved in the region.
difficult. Hard is less formal than difficult and is very common in spoken English: · The test was really hard.· a hard decision· It was hard to forgive him.
very difficult, because you have to use a lot of effort, or because it affects you emotionally: · a tough race· Doctors have to make tough decisions about who to treat first.· The team faces some tough competition.· Life is tough sometimes.
difficult because it is complicated and full of problems: · She had helped him out of a tricky situation.· Merging the two companies was bound to be tricky.
rather difficult to deal with – used especially when something could be embarrassing: · You’ve put me in a very awkward position.· It was getting dark and foggy, which made the rescue even more awkward.
difficult in an interesting or enjoyable way: · I wanted a job that was more challenging.· a challenging piece of music
difficult and tiring, because it takes a lot of effort: · Being a nurse in a busy hospital is a demanding job.· it can be very demanding bringing up young children.
if something seems daunting, you think that it will be difficult and you do not feel confident about being able to do it: · a daunting challenge· The task seemed a little daunting at first.
needing to be dealt with carefully or sensitively, especially in order to avoid offending people or causing problems: · This is a very delicate subject, and it can be difficult to talk about it with your parents.· He thanked me for the way in which this delicate matter had been handled.
Longman Language Activatorneeding a lot of skill, hard work, and determination a challenging job or activity needs a lot of hard work and skill, but it is also interesting and enjoyable: · The job wasn't challenging enough for me - I wanted something more creative.· Bowden called the piece "one of the most challenging pieces of music I've ever played."
if a new job or activity is a challenge , it is difficult, but you are determined to do it because it is interesting and exciting: · You may find your first couple of months in the job quite a challenge.· Getting the two groups to work together was a challenge, but we did it.
a demanding job or activity is very difficult and tiring, because it needs all your effort and skill: · Being a nurse in a busy hospital is a demanding job - you don't get much free time.
if something is daunting , it seems almost impossible, and the idea of doing it makes you feel nervous: · Climbing Everest is a daunting challenge for any mountaineer.daunting task: · I was faced with the daunting task of learning the whole script in 24 hours.
spoken use this about something that needs a lot of effort, skill, or determination, and you admire someone who does it: · Winning 3 gold medals in the Olympic Games takes some doing.· It took some doing, but I finally persuaded Jim to give me a few more days off.
formal difficult for someone because of needing more mental or physical effort than they are able to give: · The job was taxing, but there were some good moments.· Later in the pregnancy when the drive to work was getting too taxing, I worked at home two days a week.
needing hard work and a lot of attention given to the details of a job, in order to make sure that it is done well: · Film-editing is a difficult and exacting job.· The article is based on the institute's exacting study of wages in the health care professions.
if an activity, job etc stretches you, it is difficult enough to make you use all your skill, ability etc, and this helps you become better at it: · The exercises are designed to stretch the abilities of even the most advanced students.· I was disappointed with the course -- I didn't feel I was being stretched enough.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He’s got the daunting task of following in Ferguson’s footsteps. the daunting prospect of asking for a loanCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
frightening in a way that makes you feel less confident: He’s got the daunting task of following in Ferguson’s footsteps. the daunting prospect of asking for a loan (=a very difficult one)· How to deal with waste is a daunting challenge for the west.
(=frightening in a way that makes you not feel confident)· It is a pretty daunting prospect, being on stage for forty minutes.
(=very difficult)· Achieving these targets will be a formidable task.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Starting the time-consuming process of interviewing childminders all over again was a daunting prospect.· It is a daunting prospect and an outcome few people want.· Finding schools abroad may be a daunting prospect for employees.· Excuses vary from difficulties in obtaining payment to the daunting prospect of completing export documentation.· Coming on to a new series for the first time could be a daunting prospect even to the acting profession's hardy perennials.· The extra cost of upgrading computers alone would be a daunting prospect for already over-stretched education budgets.· Ditching its shareholders is an equally daunting prospect.· Five days of close assessment was a very daunting prospect.
· Few enterprises, it says, could have been faced with such a daunting task.· To give a full picture of this past is a daunting task, not within the scope of this book.· Steve recently completed the daunting task of photographing 100 leading western philosophers.· Planning and producing written work, quoting sources, checking: these too are often daunting tasks for the student.· In my opinion the hardest task on the holding is to overcome inertia, to make a start on the daunting task.· As a consequence of the suggestion Laureen Williamson was approached and readily agreed to undertake the daunting task.· Attempting to install Pizazz Convert in Windows, can be a daunting task for the novice.· For any social species whose behaviour is less regular than clockwork, even this ground-clearing goal is a daunting task.
The trip seemed rather daunting for a young girl. He’s got the daunting task of following in Ferguson’s footsteps. the daunting prospect of asking for a loan► see thesaurus at difficult