Here are some synonyms for "trying" along with their explanations:
1. Challenging
- Meaning: "Challenging" implies that something presents difficulties that require effort, skill, or determination to overcome. For example, "Climbing that mountain is a challenging task." It emphasizes the presence of obstacles and the need to stretch one's abilities to deal with the situation. Compared to "trying," "challenging" focuses more on the nature of the difficulty as a test of one's capabilities, while "trying" can have a broader sense of being difficult and perhaps also a bit irritating or tiresome.
2. Difficult
- Meaning: "Difficult" simply means not easy; it requires more effort or skill than usual. For example, "Solving this complex math problem is very difficult." It is a more straightforward way of expressing that a task or situation is hard to handle. "Trying" and "difficult" are quite similar, but "trying" can sometimes carry an additional emotional connotation of being a strain or a bother, whereas "difficult" is more objective about the level of hardship involved.
3. Arduous
- Meaning: "Arduous" means involving or requiring strenuous effort; it's a more intense form of difficulty. For example, "The arduous journey through the desert tested their endurance." It emphasizes the hardship and the physical or mental toil that a task demands. Similar to "trying," "arduous" conveys a sense of something being a real struggle, but it is often used to describe more long - term or arduous (in the literal sense) activities like a long - distance trek or a complex project that spans a long period.
4. Taxing
- Meaning: "Taxing" means physically or mentally demanding. It implies that a task or situation takes a toll on a person's energy or resources. For example, "The taxing work schedule left him exhausted." This synonym is related to "trying" as it shows that something is burdensome and requires a lot from a person. However, "taxing" is more about the draining effect it has, while "trying" can also refer to the general quality of being difficult or bothersome without always emphasizing the draining aspect.
5. Tough
- Meaning: "Tough" has a similar meaning to "difficult" and "trying." It means strong, hard, or difficult to break, cut, or endure. For example, "The tough competition made it hard for her to win." It can refer to a challenging situation, a difficult person, or a material that is hard to work with. In the context of a difficult situation like "trying," "tough" emphasizes the resilience needed to face the difficulty.