- present participle of strive.
striving
Americannoun
-
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.
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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
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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.
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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
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.
Mostly, though, she just wants to keep doing what she’s been striving for since we were kids — “I want, when you watch me, for you to feel like you’ve seen something magic happen.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
In fact, Americans of all ages, backgrounds and incomes are striving for a better life, but say the rising cost of living prevents them from their aspirations, the researchers found.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
To children, “Spirited Away” is about a little girl striving to find a way back home, a premise as familiar as “The Wizard of Oz.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
In its sense of upward lift, it speaks of striving and aspiration and of almost inexpressible yearning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
The three boys stood in the darkness, striving unsuccessfully to convey the majesty of adult life.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
