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

The actor plays Rob Gordon, a Chicago music-store owner who struggles with relationships and responsibility. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 16 July 2026

Speaking of social media, your Five Star Weekend character struggles a bit with authenticity and her followers. — Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026

Higher energy costs during the war in Iran have helped lift China out of one of its longest periods of deflation, as the nation struggles with industrial overcapacity and sluggish domestic demand. — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

Once the face of promise for one of baseball’s winningest organizations, Walker’s struggles over the first three years of his career instead turned him into the poster child for the Cardinals’ severely outdated player development system. — Katie Woo, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Lucas said each year the City Council allocates more than 25% of its annual operating revenue to fund the Police Department, yet the agency struggles each year with paying legal settlements. — Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

As the widow struggles with depression, her son secretly rescues and cares for an injured goat deep within the tropical rainforest. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 July 2026

Following the Trojan War, Odysseus struggles to return home to Ithaca, encountering mythological creatures such as Cyclopes, Sirens, and gods who interfere with his perilous voyage. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

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

Noun

His struggles aren’t solved; he’s just found a new means of battling them. — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026

Early this season, the Braves were flying high, holding the best record in baseball and making many fans forget about last season’s struggles. — AJC.com, 15 July 2026

While there, the team was under constant pressure to build and quickly scale, sometimes working in difficult conditions and facing infrastructure struggles, like reliable bathrooms. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 14 July 2026

But there is no shortage of players who have played a role in getting the club to 46 wins, and also plenty whose struggles helped pile up 48 losses, too. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 July 2026

But even with their struggles, culminating in an 82-64 loss to Seattle on July 6, the Sparks responded well with consecutive home wins against Indiana and Chicago. — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Symptoms can include forgetfulness, difficulty finding words and struggles with reasoning, problem solving and judgment. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 14 July 2026

Sullenberger envisions this chapter, despite its struggles, as a continuation of the work he’s always done. — Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

At the white-columned City Hall, just steps from Odesa’s signature Beaux-Arts opera house, Deputy Mayor Filatov doesn’t try to minimize the struggles of the past winter. — Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026