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Glite Dictionary
leviathan of a challenge

leviathan of a challenge

9.1
A very large and difficult task that is hard to do
  • noun
translation icon : desafío colosal
  • Managing a global crisis can be a leviathan of a challenge for any leader.

Examples

  • Launching the new software presented a leviathan of a challenge for the development team.

  • Completing the project on time was a leviathan of a challenge!

  • Climbing Mount Everest is a leviathan of a challenge that only a few people ever conquer.

  • What a leviathan of a challenge this is!

  • Climbing Mount Everest is a leviathan of a challenge that only a few people ever conquer.

  • Launching the new software presented a leviathan of a challenge for the development team.

  • Managing a global crisis can be a leviathan of a challenge for any leader.

Synonyms

tall order
vsleviathan of a challenge
  • Informal
16 6.9

A task that is very hard to do

is similar but highlights extreme size and complexity more
big project
vsleviathan of a challenge
14 2.1

A large, important task that takes a lot of time and effort

is similar but focuses on daunting scale and complexity rather than just size
mountain to climb
vsleviathan of a challenge
  • Informal
1 5.2

A very difficult task that you must overcome

adds the idea of enormous scale and complexity to that difficulty
mammoth task
vsleviathan of a challenge
1 5.9

A very large and difficult job that needs a lot of time and effort

is even more about daunting scale and difficulty
behemoth of a project
vsleviathan of a challenge
7.5

A very large, difficult project that needs a lot of time and many people

stresses size and required effort as the main challenge
doozy of a challenge
vsleviathan of a challenge
  • Informal
9.0

A very difficult task that needs a lot of effort

focuses more on great size and complex demands rather than exceptionality
snorter
vsleviathan of a challenge
  • Slang
9.8

A very difficult problem or task that tests your skill

is more formal and emphasizes large scale and complexity

Antonyms

breeze
  • Informal
33 2.1

An easy thing to do

How Difficult

leviathan of a challenge
9.1
challenge
∞ 3.1
task
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

leviathan of a challenge singular
leviathans of a challenge plural

Morphology

leviathan + of + a + challenge

The meaning 'an extremely large or difficult challenge' is directly derivable from combining 'leviathan' (immensely large/powerful) with 'challenge' via the normal English modifier + noun construction ('leviathan of a challenge'). Although 'leviathan' is a metaphorical/literary word, the semantic contribution is clear and compositional for a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Leviathan of a challenge comes from the word leviathan, which in old stories is a giant sea monster. The strong image of a huge, powerful beast makes a task feel enormous and frightening, so the phrase means 'a very large and difficult task'.