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
Burnham is trying to do things differently, but whether that will be enough to avoid the same forces which have claimed his last six predecessors is not yet clear. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 Penned by Aguirre-Sacasa based on the Archie Comics characters, Afterlife with Archie turns the all-American town of Riverdale into a zombie-overrun apocalypse — where the only thing scarier than the undead is trying to survive your teenage years. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 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
  • Essentially a rock has met a hard place – at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Remember, all this hard work to discover all these things has been done in the midst of designing a ballroom, cleaning up the reflecting pool and a host of other busy things the president and his administration have been doing.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
Definition of hard
Verb
  • That could mean walking for two to five minutes every 30 to 60 minutes, taking calls while standing or pacing, using stairs, stretching, or doing a few bodyweight movements between meetings.
    — Jakob Roze, Health, 23 July 2026
  • The metropolitan area was instead placed in parts of three districts, with Cohen’s reshaped district stretching a couple hundred miles eastward before reaching north toward the Nashville suburbs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • Pro tips The biggest mistake beginners make with pencil eyeliner is attempting to draw one flawless, uninterrupted stroke from the inner corner to the outer corner.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 24 July 2026
  • And catcher Carter Jensen threw out James Outman, who was attempting to steal second in the fifth.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Definition of attempting
Adjective
  • There were tough conversations between Naylor and Cleveland’s coaches and front office.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Villegas, after a tough primary election battle against Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, has roughly $572,000.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of tough
Verb
  • The sky-high payments could be caused by a lot of different things — buyers wanting big cars, low credit scores pushing monthly payments higher or high credit scores allowing for bigger loans.
    — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 24 July 2026
  • The bear spent several moments sniffing around the office and wandering through the building before returning to the entrance, pushing the door open again and leaving on its own.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of pushing
Verb
  • There was so much striving, by individuals and their teams, striving for the World Cup trophy and striving against every structural indecency that conspired to compromise the game’s integrity.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Democrats have this one chance to repudiate the democratic socialists who are striving to define and control their party.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2026
Definition of striving
Adjective
  • Von Carolsfeld doesn’t attempt a sweeping indictment of the criminal justice system, but rather produces a devastatingly accurate portrait of the searing human complicity that allows some monsters to roam free.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
  • If random disclosure of common-sense-defying detail is your idea of a searing, poignant journey into the light of faith, there’s more where that came from.
    — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of searing
Verb
  • Dollar Tree quietly stocks shelf-stable protein shakes, protein bars and cheese sticks that can round out a breakfast or refuel a busy afternoon without straining a tight budget.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • The export strength, however, is straining ties with trade partners.
    — Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 15 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of trying for Spanish Speakers

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