1. seeming difficult to deal with in prospect; intimidating
（前景）令人畏懼的，使人氣餒的
Moving to a new country alone can be a daunting experience.
獨自搬到一個新國家可能是一段令人畏懼的經歷。
The sheer size of the project was daunting for the new team.
這個專案的龐大規模讓新團隊感到氣餒。
Daunting Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
daunting
adjective
快速理解
What does "Daunting" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Daunting"?
形容某事物因其規模、難度或複雜性而令人感到畏懼、氣餒或難以應付。
- 1
令人畏懼的
EN: The sheer size of the project was daunting.
翻譯: 這個專案的龐大規模令人望而生畏。
- 2
使人氣餒的
EN: Learning a new language can feel daunting at first.
翻譯: 學習一門新語言一開始可能會讓人感到氣餒。
- 3
艱鉅的
EN: They faced the daunting task of rebuilding the company.
翻譯: 他們面臨重建公司的艱鉅任務。
- 4
令人卻步的
EN: The daunting prospect of public speaking made her nervous.
翻譯: 公開演講這個令人卻步的前景讓她很緊張。
小提醒：注意 'daunting' 描述的是事物給人的『感覺』或『印象』，而非事物本身的客觀屬性。例如，一座山本身不是 'daunting'，而是它給登山者帶來的『感覺』是 'daunting'。
發音（How to Pronounce "Daunting" in English）
How to pronounce "Daunting" in English?"Daunting" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Daunting" from YouTube Videos
TEDTalks: Joshua Prince-Ramus (2006)
TED
“so it was a very daunting task for us to do a brand new building, uh that could keep the the sort be a pristine building but keep this kind of experimental nature.”
(1 out of 6)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Daunting"?How does "Daunting" change by context?
2. discouraging through fear
令人望而卻步的
The daunting prospect of public speaking kept him from applying for the leadership role.
公開演講這個令人望而卻步的前景，讓他不敢申請那個領導職位。
She faced the daunting task of telling her family the bad news.
她面臨著告訴家人這個壞消息的艱難任務。
3. appearing very large or challenging
看似艱鉅的，龐大而困難的
The mountain looked daunting from the base camp.
從大本營看，那座山顯得艱鉅難攀。
He was given the daunting responsibility of managing the entire department.
他被賦予了管理整個部門的艱鉅責任。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Daunting"?How to make natural sentences with "Daunting"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| daunting + noun | 令人畏懼的... | The daunting task took months to complete. (這項令人畏懼的任務花了數月才完成。) |
| daunting + to + verb | ...令人畏懼 | The sheer amount of work was daunting to consider. (光是想到那龐大的工作量就令人畏懼。) |
| find + noun + daunting | 覺得...令人畏懼 | Many students find the final exam daunting. (許多學生覺得期末考令人畏懼。) |
| seem/feel daunting | 看起來/感覺令人畏懼 | Moving to a new country can seem daunting at first. (搬到一個新國家起初可能看起來令人畏懼。) |
| a daunting prospect/challenge/task | 一個令人畏懼的前景/挑戰/任務 | Starting a business is a daunting prospect for most people. (對大多數人來說，創業是一個令人畏懼的前景。) |
用法說明
How is "Daunting" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Daunting"?
daunting doing vs daunting to do
- "daunting to do" 是最常見且自然的結構，用來描述某個動作或任務本身令人畏懼。
- "daunting doing" 在文法上可行，但聽起來較不自然，通常會用 "the prospect of doing" 或 "the task of doing" 來引導。
- 當主詞是 "it"（虛主詞）時，後面必須接 "daunting to do" 的結構。 EN: It is daunting to start a new career from scratch. 翻譯: 從零開始一份新事業，令人望而生畏。
EN:The prospect of starting a new career is daunting.
翻譯:開始一份新事業的前景令人卻步。
總結建議
一般情況下，使用 "daunting to + 動詞原形" 是最安全且最自然的表達方式。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Daunting" and similar words?How to choose "Daunting" vs alternatives?
daunting vs intimidating
「daunting」強調任務本身的規模或複雜性令人卻步，而「intimidating」則更側重於人或情境帶來的威嚇感，使人感到害怕或缺乏自信。
daunting vs overwhelming
「daunting」著重於開始前的畏懼感，而「overwhelming」強調進行中或體驗時被徹底淹沒、無法承受的強烈感受。
daunting vs formidable
「daunting」主觀描述令人畏懼的感受，「formidable」則客觀描述對手或挑戰本身令人敬畏的強大實力或困難度。
口語用法
How is "Daunting" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Daunting"?
引述
當引述他人對某事的看法，或轉述一種普遍感受時，常用 "daunting"。 EN: She said the prospect of moving to a new country alone was daunting. 翻譯: 她說，獨自搬到一個新國家的前景令人卻步。
EN:Everyone finds the final exam a bit daunting.
翻譯:大家都覺得期末考有點令人畏懼。
語氣強調
在口語中，常與 "really", "so", "incredibly" 等副詞連用，加強語氣，表達強烈的感受。 EN: The amount of paperwork is really daunting. 翻譯: 這些文書工作的量真的讓人望而生畏。
EN:Learning a language from scratch can be so daunting.
翻譯:從頭開始學一門語言可能會讓人非常卻步。
停頓填充
在思考如何描述一項困難任務時，可作為短暫停頓後的填充詞，帶出後續的具體挑戰。 EN: The project is... daunting, mostly because of the tight deadline. 翻譯: 這個專案...很艱鉅，主要是因為期限很緊。
EN:It felt a bit daunting, you know, having to present in front of all the executives.
翻譯:感覺有點令人發怵，你知道，必須在所有高管面前做簡報。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式商業報告中，建議使用更精確的詞彙來描述挑戰的具體性質（如 "formidable", "arduous", "challenging"），而非僅用 "daunting" 表達主觀感受。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Daunting"?What fixed phrases with "Daunting" should I remember?
a daunting task
a daunting task
一項艱鉅的任務
a daunting prospect
a daunting prospect
一個令人畏懼的前景
a daunting challenge
a daunting challenge
一個艱鉅的挑戰
find something daunting
find [noun/gerund] daunting
覺得某事令人畏懼/艱難
a daunting array of
a daunting array of [plural noun]
一系列令人望而生畏的...
seem daunting
seem daunting
看起來令人畏懼/艱難
a daunting process
a daunting process
一個艱難的過程
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Daunting"?Which "Daunting" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×The task was very daunting for me.
✓The task was very daunting.
「daunting」本身已包含「令人感到」的意思，因此通常不需要再加「for me」或「to me」。直接描述事物本身是「daunting」即可。
×I felt daunting when I saw the exam paper.
✓I felt daunted when I saw the exam paper.
「daunting」是形容事物「令人畏懼的」，用來修飾任務、挑戰等。描述人的感受時，應使用過去分詞「daunted」（感到畏懼的）。
×It's a daunting work.
✓It's a daunting task/job.
「work」作為「工作」時是不可數名詞，前面不能加「a」。應改用可數名詞如「task」、「job」、「project」等。
×The mountain is daunting to climb.
✓Climbing the mountain is daunting. / It is daunting to climb the mountain.
「daunting」通常不直接修飾具體的物理對象（如 mountain），而是修飾與該對象相關的「行動」或「任務」。更自然的說法是將動作（動名詞或不定詞片語）作為主語。
×This is a little daunting problem.
✓This is a slightly daunting problem. / This is a somewhat daunting problem.
修飾「daunting」這類表示程度的形容詞時，通常不用「a little」，而用「slightly」、「somewhat」、「rather」、「quite」等副詞來表示程度。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Daunting"?What are tense/participle forms of "Daunting"?