struggling 1 of 2

adjective

as in failing

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struggling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of struggle
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

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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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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 struggling
Adjective
Licata and Fort Worth ISD’s Board of Managers implemented the Elevate model for the district’s most struggling campuses shortly after they were appointed to their jobs by the Texas Education Agency as part of its takeover of the district. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 Their goal is to release them back into the wild to help restore struggling populations. — Alex Lehnert, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
The papers served to underline how central banks are struggling to keep up with challenges introduced by technology. — Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 The longer the current situation continues, the greater the strain on an economy already struggling with shortages, inflation and restrictions on trade. — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026 With firefighters already struggling to contain the Timber fire in Big Sur, a second wildfire in the region grew rapidly Friday and into Saturday — sending flames in the direction of Highway 1. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Now, many lower income countries are struggling to fill the gap. — Fatma Tanis, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026 Generosity of spirit West was also known to give away produce and help people who were struggling. — Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026 Take-Two Interactive CEO says no The industry is hoping GTA 6 could boost the struggling console market, which has seen higher prices due to the rising cost of memory and storage. — Jenni Reid,alex Buckmaster, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Swedish textile recycler Renewcell filed for bankruptcy in 2024 after struggling to ramp sales of its Circulose dissolving pulp quickly enough to support its industrial-scale facility. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 An already struggling Twitter announced plans to shut it down in 2016. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggling
  1. failing
  2. stumbling
  3. striving
  4. dying
  5. floundering
  6. laboring
  7. declining
  8. working
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of failing
Verb
  • The teddy bears, the stumbling answers, the whole morning in the Cotillion was a mess.
    — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Calhoun, who moved to Kansas City from Ames, Iowa, in 2016, started photography during the pandemic after stumbling across a photography video on YouTube.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • However, instead of a conservative regression, Dressen has noticed institutions striving to adopt more innovative practices on a number of levels.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But a home that cannot absorb something deeply meaningful is striving for taste at the expense of inauthenticity.
    — Steven Weill, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of striving
Adjective
  • What’s the vibe for you, post-dying?
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of dying
Verb
  • None of it was ideal — not for the Phillies, floundering their way through April, or Bohm in his walk year.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But please, save us from the talking points around the 'Protect College Sports Act' that is currently floundering around the Senate.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of floundering
Verb
  • While practicing for a sixth straight day, laboring in a heat index pushing 90 degrees, the Chiefs were bound to be a bit ill-mannered.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Complicated births that require, for example, extended time laboring will now be differentiated and might cost more, while uncomplicated births will cost less.
    — Camille A. Clare, STAT, 23 July 2026
Definition of laboring
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of declining
Verb
  • Other areas of concern are the library system's self-check-out kiosks, instances in which minor teenagers handle materials while working or volunteering at a branch, and platforms for loaning electronic materials, Adams said.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Now his focus is on following in his parents’ footsteps working with the Children’s Institute, an organization that supports children and families.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of working

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struggles
struggling
strung
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Cite this Entry

“Struggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggling. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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