trying 1 of 2

adjective

ˈtrī-iŋ How to pronounce trying (audio)
Definition of tryingnext
as in hard
difficult to endure a harrowing account of the trying conditions experienced by the climbers before they were rescued

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

trying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of try
1
as in stretching
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress you're trying my patience

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in attempting
to make an effort to do try to unlock the door will try to call later tonight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trying
Adjective
When your spouse passes away, this can be a very trying and confusing time. — Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025 Jax is in the middle of his most trying experience since his rookie season. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Several weeks later, Escobar’s staffer, who had previously entered the facility without incident, was identified by ICE and pilloried on Fox News for, according to the agency, trying to gain entry by falsely claiming to be a lawyer. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 Florida has seen an influx of high net worth individuals in the past few years along with services trying to cater to them. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for trying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trying
  1. hard
  2. stretching
  3. attempting
  4. tough
  5. pushing
  6. striving
  7. searing
  8. straining
Adjective
  • Not long afterward, he was elected president on a platform deeply hostile to the West and its liberal ideology, and especially to the United States — threatening a hard fight in the event of war.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • That’s hard to imagine of a president who uses the office to promote and prosper from his own brand name.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of hard
Verb
  • In the eastern Indian Ocean, south of Java in the vast sea stretching toward Australia, a fishing vessel slightly alters its course while operating near the boundary of its authorized fishing ground.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026
  • Native to waters stretching from Russia's Sakhalin Islands through Japan and southern China, Manila clams have spread around the world through both accidental and intentional introductions.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • An inmate in Lansing, Kansas, was sentenced to almost five years in prison Wednesday after attempting to injure two correctional officers with a broomstick.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • With a smaller number of codes that reference various products and rate plans, T-Mobile is attempting to greatly simplify its back-end system.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026
Definition of attempting
Adjective
  • White, when give the chance, has displayed a diverse offensive game, a defensive bent and an ability to make tough shots.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
  • The stakes for new avatar don’t feel quite as high—the specific circumstances around the former was a perfect storm that'll be tough to duplicate—but the music isn’t any less potent for it.
    — Lawrence Burney, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of tough
Verb
  • The former youth pastor suspected of pushing his wife off a Utah cliff died by suicide in a very unusual way, said the sheriff who oversees Las Vegas’ jails.
    — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 16 July 2026
  • As a car speeds up, the air resistance pushing against it increases and forces the engine to work harder, using more fuel to achieve the same speed.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 July 2026
Definition of pushing
Verb
  • More than 1,100 competitors striving to make it to the top of the country’s largest seven-day table tennis tournament will compete through July 9 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
    — Doug Duran, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • However, labs worldwide are striving to build quantum computers with enough qubits—the quantum equivalent of the bits underlying classical computing—to execute such attacks.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2026
Definition of striving
Adjective
  • Severe droughts and searing heat across vast swathes of southern Europe destroyed large parts of the olive oil harvest, culminating in a dizzying price rally that shocked industry veterans and consumers alike.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Set in the immigrant neighborhoods of 1950s Brooklyn, Miller’s searing tragedy explores the tensions between devotion and desire, justice and loyalty, and the promise and pressures of the American Dream.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Definition of searing
Verb
  • Analysts warned that the protests also risk straining South Africa’s security sector — which may further dampen business sentiment — considering the deployment required to prevent last week’s demonstrations from spiralling.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 July 2026
  • Rising rents and increasingly expensive grocery runs are straining budgets nationwide.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of straining

Browse Nearby Words

try
trying
trying one's hand (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Trying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trying. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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