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 Cboe Treasury Note Yield 10 Year Index is striving for its first four-week winning streak today, which would be its first in 11 months.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

In their sweaty striving to be hosted and toasted at the right dinners, book parties, panels, benefits or openings—the Paleo protein of New York Upper Crust evening smorgasbord—many lost their bearings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The act of striving for more, like some frenzied truffle hound, is usually an attempt to override fear.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Companies in the AI race are striving to perfect the technology, but they have not eliminated the possibility of errors such as "hallucinations" in which fabricated output is confidently presented.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

I dug my nails into my palms, striving for calm, trying to think.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya