trials

noun

plural of trial
1
as in ordeals
a test of faith, patience, or strength living with her insufferable relatives was a real trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in rehearsals
a private performance or session in preparation for a public appearance ran another trial of the aerial performance before opening night

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tests
a procedure or operation carried out to resolve an uncertainty trials by medical researchers haven't determined whether the medication is safe or not

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in attempts
an effort to do or accomplish something will rest and make another trial at climbing the mountain

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in headaches
something that is a source of irritation trying to have a coherent phone conversation with his senile father was always a trial

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 trials Revolution Medicines is already advancing daraxonrasib through late-stage lung cancer trials. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 While Western pharmaceutical firms are racing to develop a vaccine — some of which are close to trials — none are expected to be widely available soon, putting the onus for containing the disease on underfunded DRC authorities. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Without needing to establish safety or efficacy, researchers can skip ahead to trials testing their broader potential. — Mike McRae 26, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026 In trials, Revolution Medicines’ daraxonrasib nearly doubled average survival times for one of the deadliest cancers. — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026 Stressing the need for Apple to continue growing its services business, Cue is on record as saying at one of Google’s antitrust trials that AI is a transformative technology. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Merck and Moderna have several large trials underway in patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have been surgically removed. — Mariam Sunny, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Older women have seldom been included in randomized trials that evaluate the benefits of mammography screening on morbidity and mortality. — Kim Johnson, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026 In Phase 2b trials, the treatment showed a 49% reduction of melanoma return after patients underwent surgery and a 59% reduction of metastasization of the cancer to distant organs. — Sony Salzman, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trials
  1. ordeals
  2. rehearsals
  3. tests
  4. attempts
  5. headaches
  6. fires
  7. experiments
  8. tries
Noun
  • The two have remained united throughout the murder investigation and subsequent legal ordeals regarding Kohberger.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Through their fantastical ordeals, the X-Men illustrate qualities that inspire viewers, young and old.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of ordeals
Noun
  • In reality, Young came up with a totally different concept for the tour shortly before rehearsals began.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
  • North Korea has long condemned such joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of rehearsals
Noun
  • If the upcoming tests continue to validate the design, the 24-round reusable pod could become one of JR3’s biggest advantages.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The sanctuary later said tests showed her red blood cells were still being affected by the venom, so veterinarians gave her another dose while working to keep her blood pressure, temperature and heart rate stable.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of tests
Noun
  • Utilizing quick, short passes, Hayes completed 14 of his first 16 attempts, including a 26-yard touchdown strike to sophomore tight end Ian Figi that gave Naperville Central a 14-0 lead.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • McIntire is going batty — in a good way — over attempts to investigate the elusive western mastiff.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of attempts
Noun
  • Tibbetts says the fires have already created plenty of logistics headaches.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But nightmare headaches and blood pressure spikes from her teenage years came back at age 24.
    — Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of headaches
Noun
  • There is a history of large plume dominated fires this time of year with similar weather and fuel conditions, including the Bridge, Bobcat, and Station fires.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • See map of Ross Fire Busy wildfire season The fire comes amid a busy wildfire season, as areas of the country face dry conditions that create the perfect environment for fires to start.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fires
Noun
  • Meanwhile, in the team’s experiments, nearly 80 percent of the heat generated by the plasma was directed into cement production.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • During that time, Kim conducted a variety of scientific experiments that could advance technological development and aid space exploration down the road.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of experiments
Noun
  • After surviving a ferocious first half to trail only 13-12, the All Blacks' resolve hardened by new coach Dave Rennie and age-old ability to produce something from nothing turned a tense contest into a rout by five tries to South Africa's one.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • As Lucarelli closed in on 2,000 tries over the weekend, Oswalt ran the math in his head.
    — Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tries

Browse Nearby Words

trial runs
trials
triarchies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trials. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All