as in hard
difficult to endure
a harrowing account of the trying conditions experienced by the climbers before they were rescued
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of trying
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
But agricultural leaders see this year as one of the industry’s most trying periods, beset by economic and political factors that could significantly reduce production.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
Chase Jordan
april 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
These realities are placing increasing pressure on families, many of whom are trying to care for relatives remotely.
—Wendy R. Anderson, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trying
Adjective
Jax is in the middle of his most trying experience since his rookie season.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
But agricultural leaders see this year as one of the industry’s most trying periods, beset by economic and political factors that could significantly reduce production.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
Verb
Two years ago, a labor union trying to organize Wells Fargo workers made inroads in North Carolina, home to the bank’s largest employment hub in Charlotte.
—Chase Jordan
april 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
These realities are placing increasing pressure on families, many of whom are trying to care for relatives remotely.
—Wendy R. Anderson, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trying
Adjective
-
Sleeping positions and firmness Beyond mattress type, your preferred sleep position and mattress firmness (how hard or soft a bed feels) are other important factors to consider when buying a mattress.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But these funding mechanisms can be hard to understand, from school bonds and GO bonds to tax levies and earnings taxes.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trolley lines move across the city, stretching as far West as the Darby Transit Center and back East toward 13th street.—
Kaitlyn McCormick,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
At Fourth and Bainbridge streets in the Queen Village neighborhood, drivers are slowing, stopping and swerving to avoid two large potholes stretching across the roadway.—
Ross DiMattei,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Drawing at least in part on information from Chalker’s defectors, the Pentagon constructed life-size underground facsimiles of Iranian nuclear facilities where the scientists had worked, attempting to duplicate even the thickness of the walls.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Much of the attack was captured on 911 calls made by the relatives, who were attempting to stop Valdez and treat the 83-year-old man’s injuries simultaneously.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The judge assigned to Amin’s case was Iman Afshari, known in Tehran for his tough sentences—a reputation that led the European Union to place him on a blacklist, in January, for human-rights abuses.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Two sisters in Big Bear are facing one of the toughest moments in their lives.—
Zach Boetto,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the clip, shared by @whit_fashionfinds, footage from inside her living room shows her teen on hands and knees pushing clutter across the floor and underneath the couch.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In past years, pushing issues to the next meeting had been a tool the NFL used to win the day because the May meeting allowed league personnel to lobby owners in favor of their measures, knowing coaches and general managers would not attend that next meeting.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As is often true of an Allbee play, cracks in the veneer open into chasms of striving, desire, betrayal and raw revelation.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike Apollo, which focused on fast flags and footprints in a breakneck race against the Soviet Union, Artemis is striving for a sustainable moon base elaborate enough to satisfy even the most hard-core science fiction fans.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Others have a broiler drawer that reaches very high temperatures for searing or toasting.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
2 Apr. 2026
-
While states may be the last line of defense for consumers against unscrupulous personal lines insurers, the development is a searing indictment on the industry as a whole.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the tea had finished its boil, Meraj poured it out, straining the steaming, fragrant liquid into small cups.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The crisis also is straining government finances.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trying. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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