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Synonyms

striving

American  
[strahy-ving] / ˈstraɪ vɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or practice of trying hard to do, reach, or achieve something; vigorous effort.

    In the striving for a just and lasting peace, ten agreements have already been reached by national and rebel forces.

  2. the act of fighting or struggling against someone or something; competition, opposition, or battle.

    The pursuit of justice itself, or the striving against injustice, is a path to piety in Judaism.


adjective

  1. trying hard; making a vigorous effort to do, reach, or achieve something.

    America is the striving immigrant who starts a business or the mom who works two low-wage jobs to give her kids a better life.

  2. fighting or struggling against each other.

    Atonement aims at the unification of striving factions by making amends for whatever caused the trouble.

Other Word Forms

  • strivingly adverb
  • unstriving adjective

Etymology

Origin of striving

First recorded in 1225–75; striv(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; striv(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Once a classic American success story—he came from a family of striving Italian immigrants who ran Perry’s Grill on North Street in Endicott, N.Y.—Luciano’s life ended in Endicott, the birthplace of IBM.

From The Wall Street Journal

What is it like playing an actor as an actor yourself — and playing one that’s striving to be really great and struggling to get there?

From Los Angeles Times

EU-Swiss ties are currently governed by a patchwork of agreements, and the two have for years been striving to nail down a broader cooperation agreement.

From Barron's

In communities striving for investment, the flood of money is adding to local governments’ sense of urgency to decide if the increasingly controversial industry should set up shop.

From The Wall Street Journal

This cozily claustrophobic home is located in Boston’s historic Beacon Hill district in the period before they had children and were striving anxiously to realize their early promise.

From Los Angeles Times