challenging to determine

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "challenging to determine" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing something that is difficult to figure out or assess. Example: "The results of the experiment were challenging to determine due to the numerous variables involved."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"We have much less experience in judging the economic effects of this policy instrument, which makes it challenging to determine the appropriate quantity and pace of purchases and to communicate this policy response to the public," he said.

The New York Times

Several factors have made it challenging to determine the influence of genetic heterogeneity on clinical outcomes in ARDS.

Clinical and Translational Medicine

It is challenging to determine a specific amount of months or years for the underlying electronic device.

Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Modern Processes

It remains challenging to determine the unknown free surface in three dimensional unconfined seepage in earth dams.

Journal of Hydrology

Empirically, this would be challenging to determine, but with enough different movies appropriately measured and enough subjects, it should be possible to answer this query.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Therefore, it was highly challenging to determine if these lymph nodes had metastatic disease and whether it originated from the gastric or colon cancers.

Surgical Case Reports

Comparisons of these artificial materials is difficult because it is challenging to determine how much more accurate one technique is over another technique.

International Journal of Implant Dentistry

It has developed for more than a decade, but it is still challenging to determine the mixing and compaction temperatures of asphalt mixture.

Construction and Building Materials

Despite the functional centrality of these transitions in multicellular organisms, it has remained challenging to determine which transitions occur and at what rates without perturbations and cell engineering.

Cell Systems

Ventilation rate is equally important as pollutant concentration in aerial emission quantification, but is technically challenging to determine for animal buildings.

Building and Environment

Despite significant improvements in patient overall survival, it remains challenging to determine the optimal therapy and sequence of therapies for individual patients.

Cancer Genetics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "challenging to determine", ensure that the context clearly indicates what makes the determination difficult. Specify the factors or complexities involved to provide a more informative statement.

Common error

Avoid using "challenging to determine" in situations where the difficulty is obvious or easily understood. Opt for simpler phrasing like "hard to know" or "difficult to say" to maintain clarity and conciseness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "challenging to determine" functions as an adjectival phrase modifying an implied subject (often 'it'), followed by an infinitive verb. It expresses the quality of being difficult to ascertain or establish something. Ludwig AI confirms its proper usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

71%

News & Media

15%

Formal & Business

2%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Reference

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "challenging to determine" effectively communicates the difficulty in ascertaining or establishing something. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and widespread use across diverse contexts. While generally neutral to formal, it appears frequently in scientific and academic literature. When using this phrase, ensure you provide enough context about the specific challenges involved to maximize clarity. Alternatives such as "difficult to ascertain" or "hard to establish" can be used depending on the desired nuance. Avoid overusing it in overly simple cases to maintain conciseness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to ascertain

Replaces "challenging" with "difficult" and "determine" with "ascertain", focusing on discovering something definitively.

difficult to resolve

Simply replaces "challenging" with "difficult", maintaining a similar level of formality.

hard to establish

Substitutes "challenging" with "hard" and "determine" with "establish", highlighting the effort required to set something firmly.

not easy to figure out

Uses a more informal tone, replacing "challenging" with "not easy" and "determine" with the phrasal verb "figure out".

not straightforward to discern

Highlights the lack of directness in discerning or perceiving something.

problematic to assess

Emphasizes the problematic nature of the assessment rather than the determination itself.

tough to pinpoint

Uses a more colloquial term "tough" and replaces "determine" with "pinpoint", suggesting a precise identification is difficult.

complicated to resolve

Suggests that the difficulty lies in resolving an issue to reach a determination.

onerous to work out

Implies that figuring something out places a considerable burden of effort.

taxing to work out

Emphasizes the effort needed to produce an answer of some kind.

FAQs

How can I use "challenging to determine" in a sentence?

You can use "challenging to determine" to describe situations where it's difficult to ascertain something. For example, "It is "challenging to determine" the long-term effects of the policy."

What are some alternatives to "challenging to determine"?

Alternatives include "difficult to ascertain", "hard to establish", or "not easy to figure out", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "challenging to determine" or "difficult to determine"?

Both "challenging to determine" and "difficult to determine" are grammatically correct and convey a similar meaning. "Challenging" might imply a more stimulating or intellectually engaging difficulty, while "difficult" is more general. The choice depends on the specific context and desired tone.

In what contexts is "challenging to determine" most appropriate?

"Challenging to determine" is suitable in contexts where the act of finding something out is not only difficult but also involves complex analysis or investigation, such as in scientific research, policy evaluation, or complex problem-solving.