ENDEAVOR Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'endeavor' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of endeavor are attempt , essay , strive , and try . While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty. // endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains

Q: Where would 'attempt' be a reasonable alternative to 'endeavor'?

The synonyms attempt and endeavor are sometimes interchangeable, but attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort. // will attempt to photograph the rare bird

Q: When might 'essay' be a better fit than 'endeavor'?

Although the words essay and endeavor have much in common, essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting. // will essay a dramatic role for the first time

Q: In what contexts can 'strive' take the place of 'endeavor'?

The meanings of strive and endeavor largely overlap; however, strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort. // continues to strive for peace

Q: How do 'try' and 'attempt' relate to one another, in the sense of 'endeavor'?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something. // tried to determine which was the better procedure

endeavor 1 of 2

noun

Definition of endeavor

as in attempt

an effort to do or accomplish something the hope that this latest endeavor will yield much information about the atmosphere of the planet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

endeavor

2 of 2

verb

in-ˈde-vər

as in to strive

to devote serious and sustained effort the trapped climber endeavored mightily to get the boulder to budge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to attempt

to make an effort to do our club is forever endeavoring to find ways to raise more money for activities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb endeavor differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of endeavor are attempt, essay, strive, and try. While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains

Where would attempt be a reasonable alternative to endeavor?

The synonyms attempt and endeavor are sometimes interchangeable, but attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

will attempt to photograph the rare bird

When might essay be a better fit than endeavor?

Although the words essay and endeavor have much in common, essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

will essay a dramatic role for the first time

In what contexts can strive take the place of endeavor?

The meanings of strive and endeavor largely overlap; however, strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

continues to strive for peace

How do try and attempt relate to one another, in the sense of endeavor?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

tried to determine which was the better procedure

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of endeavor

Noun

Creative endeavor, in the space of a few hours, flashes its many faces, arduous and sexy, fleeting and fun. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Supporting young people’s mental health is a complex endeavor that will require a combination of people, organizations and resources coming together. — Ari Lightman, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

Through this practice, monastics endeavor to lead a life that is focused on God. — Bhakti Mamtora, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026 Go Green tours allow passengers to learn the ways local communities and industries endeavor to conserve, sustain, and elevate their environments. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for endeavor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for endeavor

Noun

These symptoms may reflect the brain’s attempts to integrate and learn from what happened.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
While traveling with then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981, White House press secretary James Brady was shot during an assassination attempt on the president.

— Chandelis Duster, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of attempt

Verb

Filmed largely on the doctors’ phones, the film offers an intimate account of the people striving to preserve life amid a devastating humanitarian crisis.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Are these trends in direct conversation with the rise in weight loss medications, as luxury customers strive to show off their new bodies?

— Rachael Akhidenor, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of strive

Verb

When Skinny Neck Tat guy tries to break into her house, Ginger exercises her constitutional right to deadly force.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Underneath the celebrity and the tabloid headlines is someone who’s vulnerable, funny and desperately trying to hold her life together.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of try

Verb

Miller's attempt to recast the conversation about his divorce echoed efforts by other candidates who are struggling to overcome concerns about their character.

— Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
But more than 40 countries currently struggling with financing and liquidity challenges do not have debt stocks that require imminent restructuring.

— Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggle

Verb

Democratic politicians, bureaucrats and labor leaders, once rabble-rousers like Bass who nowadays seem to exist mostly to keep their sinecure, have labored mightily to convince unbelieving voters that Bass deserves another shot.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
The circumstances of Saint Michael’s help while the pilgrim labored and delivered in the ocean were markedly different from those in the miracle ascribed to the Virgin.

— Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of labor

Verb

Employee working with open food not wearing effective hair restraint.

— NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
But while critics on the Israeli right railed against the deal, Netanyahu’s deputies worked behind the scenes to preserve it, according to correspondence obtained by TIME.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of work

Browse Nearby Words

endear (to)

endeavor

endeavored

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Endeavor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/endeavor. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of endeavor

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes