as in failing
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in stumbling
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in striving
to devote serious and sustained effort
the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of struggling
Samuel O’Neal June 11,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
Their goal is to release them back into the wild to help restore struggling populations.
—
Alex Lehnert,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
ABC News,
28 June 2026
The fashion industry has been struggling in Europe and China, while seeing growth in North America, Ebner said.
—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
28 June 2026
More than 770 buildings collapsed Still, many Venezuelans are struggling to hold onto hope in an increasingly desperate situation.
—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
Many were already struggling when the Biden administration attempted to enact sweeping student debt relief in the wake of the Covid pandemic, but the proposal encountered Republican blowback.
—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
28 June 2026
Meanwhile, there’s no truth to the rumor Hoyer acquired struggling Mets starter David Peterson while in New York to save on roaming charges.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
Maryland continues struggling with structural budget pressures driven in large part by the ever-growing costs associated with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
—
Jeffrey S. Trimbath,
Baltimore Sun,
28 June 2026
The movement to strengthen democracy in America is not struggling because its enemies are too strong.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country's struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.
—
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Adjective
Although dozens of campuses across the district have had new principals every couple years, Licata and his staff believe this new round of hires at many of the district’s most struggling schools will be the start of major stability.
—
Samuel O’Neal June 11,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
Their goal is to release them back into the wild to help restore struggling populations.
—
Alex Lehnert,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
And what people in that district are exhausted by is a politics that has justified the spending of tens of billions of dollars in killing civilians overseas, while working people are struggling just to do the basics.
—
ABC News,
28 June 2026
The fashion industry has been struggling in Europe and China, while seeing growth in North America, Ebner said.
—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
28 June 2026
More than 770 buildings collapsed Still, many Venezuelans are struggling to hold onto hope in an increasingly desperate situation.
—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
Many were already struggling when the Biden administration attempted to enact sweeping student debt relief in the wake of the Covid pandemic, but the proposal encountered Republican blowback.
—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
28 June 2026
Meanwhile, there’s no truth to the rumor Hoyer acquired struggling Mets starter David Peterson while in New York to save on roaming charges.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
Maryland continues struggling with structural budget pressures driven in large part by the ever-growing costs associated with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
—
Jeffrey S. Trimbath,
Baltimore Sun,
28 June 2026
The movement to strengthen democracy in America is not struggling because its enemies are too strong.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country's struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption.
—
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggling
Adjective
-
The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
Verb
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Gane finished off Pereira in the second round to win the title on Sunday after sending him stumbling with a right jab followed by a hammer fist.
-
But stumbling into a town with a visual landscape that still shows Guedes' thumbprint was a delight.
Verb
-
Move from striving to stillness.
-
Born in Brooklyn, NY, on April 4, 1932, Davis was a striving student who attended New York University on a full scholarship, and graduated magna cum laude.
Adjective
-
What’s the vibe for you, post-dying?
-
Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.
Verb
-
The opportunity to elect a Democrat has generated enthusiasm within the Utah Democratic Party in an era when sentiment for the national party is floundering.
-
Billy Joel was floundering as a recording artist when Davis signed him in 1973.
Verb
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In the days since posting the news, Mitchell has continued to update her followers about the aftermath and the start of the healing process, including videos of herself laboring.
-
Mercurius began laboring in the third and left after Hull's second homer of the CWS and ninth of the season leading off the fifth.
Adjective
-
While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.
-
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.
Verb
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Saunders was also a longtime staple on Baltimore TV screens, working for WJZ until 2013.
-
As part of his work overseeing health and performance programs at Google for 17 years, Newton Cheng researched the studies to understand the isolation and loneliness that can accompany working from home.
Cite this Entry
“Struggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggling. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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