Synonyms of struggle

struggle 1 of 2

verb

ˈstrə-gəl 

1

as in to stumble

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

• stumble
• trudge
• limp
• blunder
• flounder
• shuffle
• jog
• fumble
• plod
• falter
• lurch
• sway
• lumber
• flog
• reel
• bumble
• wallow
• stagger
• shamble
• muddle
• totter
• welter
• teeter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coast
• fly
• sail
• glide
• zoom
• zip
• kilt

2

as in to strive

to devote serious and sustained effort

the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strive
• labor
• work
• endeavor
• try
• toil
• slave
• tug
• sweat
• hustle
• plow
• dig (away)
• strain
• travail
• plod
• bang away
• hump
• slog
• plug
• beaver (away)
• drudge
• apply (oneself)
• peg (away)
• grub
• sweat blood
• moil
• attack
• fag
• buckle (down)
• exercise
• exert
• essay
• drive
• eke out
• pitch in
• dig in
• scratch
• hammer (away)
• grind (out)
• wade
• overwork
• knuckle down
• trudge
• put out
• overexert
• scrabble

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• break
• ease (up)
• slacken
• let up
• hang (around or out)
• shirk
• rest
• lounge
• bum
• goof (off)
• relax
• chill
• slack (off)
• idle
• unwind
• hack (around)
• play
• loaf
• laze
• hang
• bask
• repose
• veg out
• dabble
• fool around
• loll
• dillydally
• footle
• trifle
• goof (around)
• mess around
• hang about
• dally
• goldbrick
• doodle
• monkey (around)
• putter (around)
• potter (around)
• fribble

struggle

2 of 2

noun

1

as in fight

a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective

a performer's long struggle to achieve success

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fight
• battle
• effort
• fray
• throes
• attempt
• scrabble
• work
• try
• pains
• grind
• endeavor
• trouble
• toil
• exertion
• war
• drudgery
• strife
• labor
• conflict
• warfare
• combat
• tussle
• travail
• contest
• sweat
• essay

2

as in battle

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups

there was a struggle between the armed robber and the shopkeeper, and the gun went off

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fight
• battle
• clash
• skirmish
• tussle
• conflict
• scuffle
• fray
• contest
• combat
• brawl
• confrontation
• scrimmage
• duel
• dustup
• altercation
• fracas
• scrap
• hassle
• scrum
• pitched battle
• quarrel
• dispute
• battle royal
• blows
• rough-and-tumble
• spat
• tangle
• melee
• squabble
• wrangle
• mix-up
• fistfight
• controversy
• row
• grapple
• slugfest
• broil
• affray
• ruckus
• fisticuffs
• joust
• misunderstanding
• face-off
• free-for-all
• donnybrook
• falling-out
• punch-up
• punch-out
• disagreement
• cross fire
• argument
• ruction
• tiff
• catfight
• kickup
• contretemps
• handgrips
• argle-bargle
• argy-bargy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truce

3

as in rivalry

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another

her staunchest supporters in her struggle for the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• battle
• rivalry
• competition
• conflict
• duel
• confrontation
• warfare
• war
• contention
• match
• strife
• contest
• combat
• clash
• tug-of-war
• ball game
• showdown
• grapple
• dogfight
• sweepstakes
• face-off
• debate
• dispute
• friction
• horse race
• disputation
• quarrel
• collision
• argument
• controversy
• discord
• disagreement
• nail-biter
• wrangle
• dissension
• row

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peace
• harmony
• concord

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of struggle

Verb

If there are problems there or a hurricane knocks some systems offline, prices will struggle to drop. — Jeffrey Collins, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026

After a major storm, aircraft like it could eventually help move heavier supplies into areas that ground vehicles struggle to reach. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Noun

People want to see Odysseus struggle, not Matt Damon, nor Christopher Nolan. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026

The astonishing social movements of the decade—particularly the black freedom struggle and the antiwar movement—could have produced a more durable sense of solidarity and collective possibilities. — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026