striving

[strahy-ving]

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of striving¹

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

Tola and Kevin are a mother-son duo behind an account that posts candid videos of what it's like to raise a young adult with autism, striving to create content that raises awareness and promotes acceptance.

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They are also part of a larger cultural turn against striving and wealth creation, which is showing up in the work habits and preferences of many young workers.

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Rigetti sets itself apart from its pure-play competitors, many of whom are striving to commercialize their technology at all costs, with a focus on research and development.

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As if striving to say something even less helpful, New York’s top civil defense official said, “As far as shelters for the majority of our citizens is concerned—of course, we don’t have any.”

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Since then, the wealthy Alpine nation has been striving to negotiate a better tariff deal, even as it has slashed its 2026 growth forecast as the tariffs weigh on its export-driven economy.

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