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
Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Jax is in the middle of his most trying experience since his rookie season.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Charles Melton plays an American GI named Private K who’s trying to locate his daughter and keeps getting into bloody altercations.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for trying
Adjective
When your spouse passes away, this can be a very trying and confusing time.
—Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Jax is in the middle of his most trying experience since his rookie season.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
This street is very busy because of the university and people trying to escape traffic on the corniche road.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Charles Melton plays an American GI named Private K who’s trying to locate his daughter and keeps getting into bloody altercations.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for trying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trying
Adjective
-
Getting warships into the water is hard enough without wasting funds on vessels unlikely ever to sail.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Hulst setting a hard pace from the gun with Serna trying to hold on long enough to outkick him in the end.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Whether Glasner was justified or not in his complaints, a prolonged period of poor form, stretching back well over a month, coupled with his outbursts, led to questions over his future.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
With roots stretching back to the late 19th century, the gardens were developed with two prominent local families before becoming part of the nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden network in the 1980s.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Rather than attempting to predict the exact moment a flare will erupt, researchers developed a probabilistic system designed to identify time periods and regions on the sun where extreme flares are more likely to occur.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are attempting to understand what happens during nuclear fallouts.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Management has partly attributed the membership slowdown to tougher comparisons from a year earlier, but there’s more to the story.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
-
The California Assembly on Thursday overwhelming voted in favor of a bill that would prohibit children under 16 years old from having a social media account, setting up what is likely to continue to be a tough battle over the coming months.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Though putting olive oil in coffee isn’t technically a traditional Italian custom, Starbucks has a history of pushing limits to discover new, unexpected ways to innovate around coffee.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
-
The United States has also been pushing for Iran to end uranium enrichment, which the regime in Tehran has rejected.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
The multi-million dollar production process on this asset alone showcases the level of detail that Xbox is striving to achieve with this game, according to Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
As for the Cavaliers, their partnership with The Realest involves both organizations striving to achieve two goals.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Some 1,000 people participated at the state Capitol’s annual candlelight vigil to remember the missing, support families and recommit to ending the violence causing such searing pain in California Indian Country.—
James C Ramos,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
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The searing conditions have turned deadly, with multiple drownings in British lakes, French surf and Spanish beaches as people seek relief before lifeguard patrols and summer safety measures are fully in place.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Simonson said that while construction has been hit by the same low-hire, low-fire conditions straining job growth, the industry faces more severe shortages from both an aging workforce and dwindling interest from younger generations.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
-
That straining step concentrates what remains, producing the thicker texture and higher protein density Greek yogurt is known for.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trying. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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