1
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in failing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundering
Verb
-
Ordinary Americans also work for league media arms such as the NFL Network, which last year conducted layoffs, or their partners, including regional sports networks that are struggling to keep pace.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
6 Jan. 2025 -
California and Stanford ventured to the opposite coast for the first time, both struggling in the Eastern time zone.—
Sabreena Merchant,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
-
James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
After easily stopping Thanos and Nam-gyu from curb-stomping Ming-gyu at lunch, In-ho earns a lot of people’s respect.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
26 Dec. 2024
-
In a similar vein, Malloy’s musical score is almost anonymously eclectic — wistful ballads, stomping pop, a smattering of EDM — but threaded through with enough strains of Russian folk and klezmer to suggest a sense of place.—
Houman Barekat,
New York Times,
23 Dec. 2024
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
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Cite this Entry
“Floundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundering. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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