'struggle with' vs. 'wrestle with'

Young-min asks:

Is there any difference between 'wrestle with' and 'struggle with'?


Both mean virtually the same thing. Both mean to have a hard time understanding or accepting something, usually something abstract even though both clearly refer physical actions. Both also imply that the person (or group) 'struggling' or 'wrestling' is trying to resolve the issue, whether successfully or unsuccessfully.

Wrestle with has always seemed to me to be the stronger of the two. People usually wrestle with things that are harder to understand or accept--they wrestle with the truth, with the idea of a divorce--where they struggle with lesser problems--which present to buy someone, whether to attend an event. Actually, it seems to me that 'wrestle with' tends to suggest a greater possibility of them not resolving the issue, whereas 'struggle with' suggests that they are capable of handling it or are likely to resolve it.

Also, because both involve an issue that may or may not have been resolved, it is usually common to report whether or not it was. In fact, both are commonly used as ways of setting up the result of the struggle, highlighting that a decision or resolution was not easy to come to:

After years of struggling with overeating, John finally was able to control his eating habits.

Despite years of wrestling with balancing the budget, congress is still spending wildly.


Thanks for the great question! Keep them coming! I miss answering your questions.