SuaviloquyToday’s word

struggle

Struggle, n.

1. A violent effort or efforts with contortions of the body; agony; distress.

2. Great labor; forcible effort to obtain an object, or to avert an evil. Macaulay.

3. Contest; contention; strife. An honest might look upon the struggle with indifference. Addison.

Syn. -- Endeavor; effort; contest; labor; difficulty.

1 other Webster entry under this spelling

Struggle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Struggled; p. pr. & vb. n. Struggling.]

1. To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.

2. To use great efforts; to labor hard; to strive; to contend forcibly; as, to struggle to save one's life; to struggle with the waves; to struggle with adversity. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it [Gettysburg] far above our power to add or detract. Lincoln.

3. To labor in pain or anguish; to be in agony; to labor in any kind of difficulty or distress. 'T is wisdom to beware, And better shun the bait than struggle in the snare. Dryden.

Syn. -- To strive; contend; labor; endeavor.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for struggle; he lists it under endeavor.

Where he writes about it:

A struggle is a violent effort or strenuous exertion. — from endeavor

Antonyms

none given