How can I say strenuous/challenging without a negative connotation? [closed]

I want to thank someone for a "challenging" semester - in the sense that it made me work really hard and was demanding, but in a good way

Solution 1:

The OP probably thinks challenging has a negative connotation, because in several of its meanings, it does. But it has a positive connotation in the way the OP wants to use it.

According to Merriam-Webster, challenge can mean:

transitive verb:

1 : to dispute especially as being unjust, invalid, or outmoded : impugn //new data that challenges old assumptions

4 : to arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties //she wants a job that will challenge her

intransitive verb

1 : to make or present a challenge //when the appropriate moment challenged, he was capable of … leadership

I've left out definitions 2a, 2b, 2c, 3, 5, 6, 7 for the transitive verb and definition 2 for the intransitive.

As for strenuous, it also can have both negative and positive connotations. According to The Cambridge English Dictionary:

strenuous: needing or using a lot of effort or energy

The word has a positive meaning if strenuous exertion is within the capability of the person exerting herself, and a negative meaning if the person is exerting herself beyond what is healthy for her.