struggling 1 of 2

adjective

as in failing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

struggling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of struggle
1
as in stumbling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually each week I would struggle through my piano lesson, keenly aware that I wasn't getting any better

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in striving
to devote serious and sustained effort the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 struggling
Adjective
Licata and Fort Worth ISD’s Board of Managers implemented the Elevate model for the district’s most struggling campuses shortly after they were appointed to their jobs by the Texas Education Agency as part of its takeover of the district. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 Their goal is to release them back into the wild to help restore struggling populations. — Alex Lehnert, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
The papers served to underline how central banks are struggling to keep up with challenges introduced by technology. — Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 The longer the current situation continues, the greater the strain on an economy already struggling with shortages, inflation and restrictions on trade. — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026 With firefighters already struggling to contain the Timber fire in Big Sur, a second wildfire in the region grew rapidly Friday and into Saturday — sending flames in the direction of Highway 1. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Now, many lower income countries are struggling to fill the gap. — Fatma Tanis, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026 Generosity of spirit West was also known to give away produce and help people who were struggling. — Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026 Take-Two Interactive CEO says no The industry is hoping GTA 6 could boost the struggling console market, which has seen higher prices due to the rising cost of memory and storage. — Jenni Reid,alex Buckmaster, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Swedish textile recycler Renewcell filed for bankruptcy in 2024 after struggling to ramp sales of its Circulose dissolving pulp quickly enough to support its industrial-scale facility. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 An already struggling Twitter announced plans to shut it down in 2016. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggling
  1. failing
  2. stumbling
  3. striving
  4. dying
  5. floundering
  6. laboring
  7. declining
  8. working
Adjective
  • The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
    — Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of failing
Verb
  • Unlike other festivals, where audiences can be more forgiving, stumbling out of the gate at Venice can prove impossible for a contender to recover from.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Analysis from Zeki Data shows that where OpenAI and Anthropic are making gains in the AI talent market, Google DeepMind (and to some extent Meta) are stumbling.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • However, instead of a conservative regression, Dressen has noticed institutions striving to adopt more innovative practices on a number of levels.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But a home that cannot absorb something deeply meaningful is striving for taste at the expense of inauthenticity.
    — Steven Weill, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of striving
Adjective
  • What’s the vibe for you, post-dying?
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.
    — Lauren David, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of dying
Verb
  • That one is flourishing and another is floundering represents the most frustrating part of this process.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Yet some in the party say there is no upside for candidates in close races to leave the campaign for an event in another state with a president floundering in polls ‒ and there are questions about who will attend.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of floundering
Verb
  • While practicing for a sixth straight day, laboring in a heat index pushing 90 degrees, the Chiefs were bound to be a bit ill-mannered.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Complicated births that require, for example, extended time laboring will now be differentiated and might cost more, while uncomplicated births will cost less.
    — Camille A. Clare, STAT, 23 July 2026
Definition of laboring
Adjective
  • While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.
    — Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Mar. 2021
  • In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities.
    — Fox News, Fox News, 15 May 2020
Definition of declining
Verb
  • Steinem spent 11 days working undercover as a bunny in Manhattan's Playboy Club and documenting her experience.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Irving has been appointed Joint Managing Director, working alongside Simon Gillis, who holds the same post.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of working

Browse Nearby Words

struggles
struggling
strung
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Struggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggling. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All