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

Charles builds their cabin with help from a kind widower and Civil War veteran, John Edwards (Warren Christie), who struggles with alcohol; Edwards’ sometime companion (Rebecca Amzallag) is a fiercely independent bar owner. — Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026

Her performance as Jovie, the department store employee who struggles to get into the Yuletide frame of mind, was her big break. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 July 2026

Stockpiles in Cushing rebounded by around 700,000 barrels last week, but are still less than 20 million barrels, at which point the facility struggles to pipe out crude to refineries across the country. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 July 2026

So a group of white nationalists hiding behind masks periodically shows up in the nation’s capital, struggles to navigate basic public transportation, and walks around taking videos of themselves. — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

After devising the Trojan horse and unleashing carnage on Troy, the melancholic Odysseus struggles to see good in the world. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 July 2026

The team's poor offensive showing and struggles against top European sides, mirroring previous results, cast doubt on the program's direction. — John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

The duo’s struggles to revive the restaurant were chronicled in a 2024 Paramount+ documentary, ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026

Her 12-year-old son, Whitman, has autism and a neurological disorder called apraxia, in which the brain struggles to tell muscles how to move to form words or perform other motor skills. — Annie Ma, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Noun

Through speeches, chants and signs, demonstrators drew a line between the struggles local facility employees face and those carried by farmworkers in the Philippines. — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

DeGrom suffered first-inning struggles before settling in, his pattern this season. — Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

However, the deal raises questions about Mitchell's ability to consistently perform at a max level into his mid-30s, especially given his defensive struggles in the recent Eastern Conference Finals. — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Reminiscent of the war on drugs California imposed a 15% excise tax on legal marijuana sales — last year, that tax jumped up to 19%, before Newsom and the Legislature, recognizing the industry’s struggles, paused the increase until June 2028. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

But as the season progresses, the guitars are streaked with what is supposed to be an increasing amount of blood, an aesthetic reflection of Lestat’s inner struggles. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026

As with their game against Ghana, this wasn’t easy going for England, who initially had their struggles breaking Panama down. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Some Southern states boycotted the fair because of financial struggles and lingering resentment. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 1 July 2026

These are all major breakthroughs for a soccer-loving continent that had been underrepresented on the sport’s biggest stage and whose soccer success was often stymied by financial struggles and administrative corruption. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026