Trying

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Try \Try\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {tried}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Trying}.] [OE. trien to select, pick out, F. trier to cull,
     to out, LL. tritare to triturate (hence the sense of, to
     thresh, to separate the grain from the straw, to select), L.
     terere, tritum, to rub, bruise, grind, thresh. See {Trite}.]
     1. To divide or separate, as one sort from another; to


        winnow; to sift; to pick out; -- frequently followed by
        out; as, to try out the wild corn from the good. [Obs.]
        --Sir T. Elyot.
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     2. To purify or refine, as metals; to melt out, and procure
        in a pure state, as oil, tallow, lard, etc. --Shak.
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              The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver
              tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
                                                    --Ps. xii. 6.
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              For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us,
              as silver is tried.                   --Ps. lxvi.
                                                    10.
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     3. To prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the
        purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove;
        to test; as, to try weights or measures by a standard; to
        try a man's opinions.
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              Let the end try the man.              --Shak.
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     4. To subject to severe trial; to put to the test; to cause
        suffering or trouble to.
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              Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased. --Milton.
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              These are the times that try men's souls. --Thomas
                                                    Paine (1776)
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     5. To experiment with; to test by use; as, to try a remedy
        for disease; to try a horse.
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              Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me.
                                                    --Shak.
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              To ease her cares the force of sleep she tries.
                                                    --Swift.
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     6. To strain; to subject to excessive tests; as, the light
        tries his eyes; repeated disappointments try one's
        patience.
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     7. (Law) To examine or investigate judicially; to examine by
        witnesses or other judicial evidence and the principles of
        law; as, to try a cause, or a criminal.
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     8. To settle; to decide; to determine; specifically, to
        decide by an appeal to arms; as, to try rival claims by a
        duel; to try conclusions.
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              Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried. --Shak.
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     9. To experience; to have or gain knowledge of by experience.
        --Milton.
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              Or try the Libyan heat or Scythian cold. --Dryden.
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     10. To essay; to attempt; to endeavor.
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               Let us try . . . to found a path.    --Milton.
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     {To try on}.
         (a) To put on, as a garment, to ascertain whether it fits
             the person.
         (b) To attempt; to undertake. [Slang] --Dickens.
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     Syn: To attempt; endeavor; strive; aim; examine.
  
     Usage: {Try}, {Attempt}. To try is the generic, to attempt is
            the specific, term. When we try, we are usually
            uncertain as to success; when we attempt, we have
            always some definite object in view which we seek to
            accomplish. We may be indifferent as to the result of
            a trial, but we rarely attempt anything without a
            desire to succeed.
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                  He first deceased: she for a little tried
                  To live without him; liked it not, and died.
                                                    --Sir H.
                                                    Wotton.
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                  Alack, I am afraid they have a waked,
                  And 't is not done. The attempt, and not the
                  deed,
                  Confounds us.                     --Shak.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Trying \Try"ing\, a.
     Adapted to try, or put to severe trial; severe; afflictive;
     as, a trying occasion or position.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  trying
       adj 1: hard to endure; "fell upon trying times"
       2: extremely irritating to the nerves; "nerve-racking noise";
          "the stressful days before a war"; "a trying day at the
          office" [syn: {nerve-racking}, {nerve-wracking}, {stressful}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  119 Moby Thesaurus words for "trying":
     adverse, analytic, annoying, antagonistic, arduous, backbreaking,
     besetting, bothersome, burdensome, conflicting, contrary, counter,
     counteractive, crushing, cut-and-try, demanding, detrimental,
     devitalizing, difficult, dispiriting, disquieting, distressing,
     draining, empirical, enervating, enfeebling, exacting,
     examinational, examinatorial, examining, exasperating, exhausting,
     exigent, experimental, explorational, explorative, exploratory,
     fact-finding, fatiguesome, fatiguing, feeling, frustrating,
     groping, grueling, hard, harmful, heavy, hefty, heuristic,
     hit-or-miss, hostile, in opposition, indagative, infuriating,
     inimical, inspectional, inspectorial, investigational,
     investigative, investigatory, irksome, irritating, killing,
     maddening, miserable, not easy, onerous, opposed, opposing,
     opposite, oppressive, painful, pilot, plaguey, probationary,
     probative, probatory, proving, provisional, punishing, rigorous,
     rough, sapping, sinister, sticky, straining, strenuous, stressful,
     superincumbent, taxing, tentative, test, testing, tiresome, tiring,
     toilsome, tough, trial, trial-and-error, tricksy, tricky,
     troublesome, troublous, unfavorable, untoward, upsetting,
     verificatory, vexatious, vexing, weakening, weariful, wearing,
     wearisome, wearying, weighty, worrisome, worrying, wretched,
     zetetic