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
show current usage.
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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
-
Saturn in your companionable 7th house is encouraging Pluto in your playful 5th house, so the energy of these cosmic powerhouses should be a little less hard to handle and a lot more fun!—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Jamaica born About a hundred people gathered to lay Wilson to rest, singing, crying and laughing while remembering his kind heart, his hard work and his famous barbecue ribs and chicken wings.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Then again, there’s plenty of reason to be skeptical with billions already being made from an ecosystem that is stretching fans’ wallets.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The red flag warning covers 27 counties stretching from southwest Iowa to the Des Moines area.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Des Moines Register,
26 Mar. 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
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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 real minutes, tough minutes on the road, stressful.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
After those seven players, things get a little tough to project.—
Mike Kaye
March 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 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
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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
-
There are the striving, dysfunctional parents, and the politically calculating peers.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Through the Daodejing, one of the central texts of Daoism, Laozi offers perspectives from a tumultuous period of status-striving in Chinese history – and shifts our focus from comparison and competition to contentment.—
Stephen Chen,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But as Lumpkin sat at the defense table, the victim’s family delivered searing statements that undercut her long-standing claims of abuse, portraying her instead as a calculating, coldblooded killer.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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There are no national – or local – media outlets setting up for live broadcasts on this searing hot afternoon.—
Celina Tebor,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
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