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
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.
—Lana Zak, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Cenedella, who chairs the OB Task Force on Homelessness, tries to bring in providers so people struggling with mental illness or addiction can get help right there, instead of having to navigate the system on their own.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
After the deaths of their parents in a car crash, the three Curtis brothers are struggling to navigate life on the edge of poverty in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Yet the man currently in charge of the kingdom, the one who has added two championships of his own to the university coffers, is struggling with the old vocabulary in this very modern-day college athletics world.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Verstappen is among the drivers struggling after one of the most significant regulation changes in F1 took place this season.
—ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
San Francisco officials have been struggling to work through backlogs of proposals to install more speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and concrete islands to improve safety.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Millions are struggling to find work that matches their skill level.
—Gregory Haile, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.
—Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.
—Lana Zak, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Cenedella, who chairs the OB Task Force on Homelessness, tries to bring in providers so people struggling with mental illness or addiction can get help right there, instead of having to navigate the system on their own.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
After the deaths of their parents in a car crash, the three Curtis brothers are struggling to navigate life on the edge of poverty in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Yet the man currently in charge of the kingdom, the one who has added two championships of his own to the university coffers, is struggling with the old vocabulary in this very modern-day college athletics world.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Verstappen is among the drivers struggling after one of the most significant regulation changes in F1 took place this season.
—ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
San Francisco officials have been struggling to work through backlogs of proposals to install more speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and concrete islands to improve safety.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Millions are struggling to find work that matches their skill level.
—Gregory Haile, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggling
Adjective
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The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.—
Noah Alcala Bach,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Occasionally, King’s assistants, a pair of bulky guys with law-enforcement backgrounds, offered the stumbling line a corrective shove.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Ducks started their trip up five points on Connor McDavid and company, but held just a three-point edge after stumbling 4-2 on Saturday.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There are the striving, dysfunctional parents, and the politically calculating peers.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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Through the Daodejing, one of the central texts of Daoism, Laozi offers perspectives from a tumultuous period of status-striving in Chinese history – and shifts our focus from comparison and competition to contentment.—
Stephen Chen,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Ray has a sympathy for these floundering men, not as victims but as people relying on the wrong structures for support.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.—
Doris Alvarez Cea,
Florida Times-Union,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Montiel, 62, said Chavez’s legacy continues to reverberate as the union has pushed for improved working conditions for people laboring in extreme heat, at times without adequate breaks or water.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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Doyley, who felt comfortable with her odds and wanted to continue laboring, argued during the hearing that C-sections carry their own dangers — including a risk of death.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.—
Tom MacCubbin,
orlandosentinel.com,
6 Mar. 2021
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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.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
15 May 2020
Verb
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And while Harrell continues his rehab, newcomer Cole Gonzales has been working with the first team, along with returner Grayson Loftis, who started seven games last season.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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One player who’s looking forward to working with Corona is freshman Max DeHoyos.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Struggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggling. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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