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.

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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

The most recent allocation was for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics,” according to the budget.

From The Wall Street Journal

Here, Melville is an American Kafka or Gogol, and in this guise, he skewers our pervasive national ethos that values ambition and striving above all.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Copper is at the heart of an M&A frenzy, led by the diversified majors striving to acquire producing assets and reinforce their growth pipelines,” they write.

From The Wall Street Journal

Djokovic, striving to become the oldest man to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy, last won one at the US Open in 2023.

From Barron's

He is also striving to finally win a record 25th Grand Slam and surpass Margaret Court, who is also expected to be watching in Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

From Barron's