Synonyms of struggles

struggles 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of struggle

1

as in stumbles

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

• stumbles
• blunders
• flounders
• shuffles
• trudges
• fumbles
• limps
• jogs
• lurches
• falters
• plods
• lumbers
• sways
• reels
• bumbles
• wallows
• shambles
• flogs
• staggers
• totters
• muddles
• welters
• teeters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flies
• glides
• sails
• zooms
• coasts
• zips
• kilts

2

as in strives

to devote serious and sustained effort

the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strives
• labors
• works
• endeavors
• tries
• toils
• slaves
• tugs
• travails
• hustles
• plows
• sweats
• humps
• digs (away)
• strains
• pegs (away)
• grubs
• bangs away
• plods
• slogs
• plugs
• fags
• drudges
• moils
• beavers (away)
• sweats blood
• attacks
• hammers (away)
• applies (oneself)
• buckles (down)
• exercises
• pitches in
• drives
• knuckles down
• exerts
• scratches
• essays
• digs in
• grinds (out)
• ekes out
• overworks
• wades
• trudges
• overexerts
• scrabbles
• puts out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaks
• eases (up)
• slackens
• lets up
• slacks (off)
• shirks
• hangs (around or out)
• rests
• goofs (off)
• chills
• loafs
• lounges
• goldbricks
• dillydallies
• plays
• bums
• unwinds
• dallies
• hacks (around)
• lazes
• idles
• basks
• reposes
• hangs
• relaxes
• dabbles
• footles
• lolls
• fools around
• hangs about
• messes around
• fribbles
• goofs (around)
• doodles
• trifles
• vegges out
• putters (around)
• potters (around)
• monkeys (around)

struggles

2 of 2

noun

plural of struggle

1

as in battles

a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective

a performer's long struggle to achieve success

Synonyms & Similar Words

• battles
• fights
• efforts
• frays
• throes
• works
• attempts
• pains
• scrabbles
• tries
• troubles
• toils
• endeavors
• exertions
• travails
• grinds
• wars
• conflicts
• tussles
• labors
• sweats
• contests
• drudgeries
• combats
• strifes
• essays
• warfares

2

as in clashes

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

• clashes
• fights
• battles
• skirmishes
• tussles
• scuffles
• conflicts
• dustups
• brawls
• frays
• contests
• confrontations
• scrimmages
• altercations
• combats
• scraps
• duels
• fracases
• blows
• hassles
• quarrels
• pitched battles
• disputes
• scrums
• squabbles
• battles royal
• controversies
• broils
• tangles
• mix-ups
• wrangles
• disagreements
• fistfights
• melees
• rough-and-tumbles
• grapples
• spats
• affrays
• misunderstandings
• slugfests
• punch-outs
• fisticuffs
• ruckuses
• jousts
• rows
• ructions
• donnybrooks
• contretemps
• tiffs
• arguments
• punch-ups
• fallings-out
• catfights
• cross fires
• handgrips
• kickups
• face-offs
• free-for-alls
• argle-bargles
• argy-bargies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truces

3

as in rivalries

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another

her staunchest supporters in her struggle for the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• battles
• rivalries
• conflicts
• confrontations
• contentions
• duels
• competitions
• wars
• matches
• contests
• warfares
• clashes
• strifes
• grapples
• combats
• ball games
• dogfights
• sweepstakes
• tugs-of-war
• showdowns
• debates
• disputes
• face-offs
• horse races
• frictions
• disputations
• controversies
• quarrels
• disagreements
• collisions
• arguments
• discords
• wrangles
• nail-biters
• dissensions
• rows

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• harmonies
• concords
• peaces

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of struggles

Verb

Don’t wait until a leader is tapped on the shoulder to take a top job only to realize the leader struggles with collaboration or lacks executive presence. — Roberta Matuson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Only the collision between Manette, Darnay and Carton unleashes a complex love triangle as both men fight for her love and Manette struggles over whom to choose. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Ariel, a successful but exhausted writer, struggles to stay young and attractive while his younger wife drags him into a demanding social life, his five children treat him like a butler, and his elderly parents constantly demand his attention. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

As her character struggles to find balance, her relationship with her son brims with tension. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026

Health teams travel remote, unpaved roads and have reported shortages of protective gear, while a vast population of displaced people struggles to find reliable water sources for washing hands. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

The idea being to strengthen those bonds to create an environment where crime struggles to thrive. — Heather McRea, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2026

When these openings get blocked, water struggles to get through, making your shower feel weaker. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2026

The same can’t be said about the exterior team, which struggles to put out the water toys. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026

Noun

After the slayings, Nick’s struggles with mental health and drug addiction made headlines. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026

That credibility often transfers to the guest, creating an authentic form of brand exposure that traditional advertising struggles to replicate. — Julio Cesar Gomez, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Most crucial to the story, however, was finding a way to portray Bourdain’s struggles between the dark and light sides of the restaurant business. — Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Last year, the congregation celebrated the church’s 150th anniversary, but financial struggles, a lack of air conditioning, and dwindling membership led it to seek a new location and put the property up for sale. — Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Aug. 2026

Americans surveyed in a new study are expressing similar struggles. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

For Nahmias, who made her filmmaking debut in 2011, Olive’s struggles are all too familiar. — Bedatri D. Choudhury, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026

Clancy wrote about her struggles to get newborn Callan to sleep, and constant worries of his being sick. — Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Mookie Betts, despite his struggles this season, is a popular future Hall of Famer with a cool nickname. — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026