What does "struggle" mean?
A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
Struggle
noun, verb
noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
- Grammar: struggle is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: battle, conflict, action, adversity.
- Useful contrasts: acquiesce, breeze, breezes.
- Usage evidence: Scientific research is not a mechanical routine, but a continuing struggle on the part of the scientist.
How to use "struggle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "struggle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "struggle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "struggle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "struggle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "struggle" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "battle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "struggle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
- 2 strenuous effort wordnet
- 3 Strife, contention, great effort. figuratively
"The struggle with ways and means had recommenced, more difficult now a hundredfold than it had been before, because of their increasing needs. Their income disappeared as a little rivulet that is swallowed by the thirsty ground. He worked night and day to supplement it."
- 4 an energetic attempt to achieve something wordnet
- 5 an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight (for or against), to contend.
"During the centuries, the people of Ireland struggled constantly to assert their right to govern themselves."
- 2 be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight wordnet
- 3 To have difficulty with something.
"One of the doctor’s patients struggled with depression."
- 4 to exert strenuous effort against opposition wordnet
- 5 To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.
"She struggled to escape from her assailant's grasp."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling wordnet
- 7 make a strenuous or labored effort wordnet
Example
"Scientific research is not a mechanical routine, but a continuing struggle on the part of the scientist."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "struggle"?
Common synonyms include: battle, conflict, action, adversity, aerial combat, affray.
How do you use "struggle" in a sentence?
Scientific research is not a mechanical routine, but a continuing struggle on the part of the scientist.
Etymology
From Middle English struglen, stroglen, strogelen, of obscure origin. Cognate with Scots strugil (“to struggle, grapple, contend”). Perhaps from a variant of *strokelen, *stroukelen (> English stroll), from Middle Dutch struyckelen ("to stumble, trip, falter"; > Modern Dutch struikelen), the frequentative form of Old Dutch *strūkon (“to stumble”), from Proto-Germanic *strūkōną, *strūkēną (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European *strug-, *ster- (“to be stiff; to bristle, strut, stumble, fall”), related to Middle Low German strûkelen ("to stumble"; > Low German strükeln), Old High German strūhhēn, strūhhōn ("to stumble, trip, tumble, go astray"; > German strauchen, straucheln). Alternative etymology derives the base of struggle from Old Norse strúgr (“arrogance, pride, spitefulness, ill-will”) + -le (frequentative suffix), from Proto-Germanic *strūkaz (“stiff, rigid”), ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European root above, which would make it cognate with dialectal Swedish strug (“contention, strife, discord”), Norwegian stru (“obstinate, unruly”), Danish struende (“reluctantly”), Scots strug (“difficulty, perplexity, a laborious task”).