Meaning & use
internal struggle
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Meaning
nouncountable
A mental or emotional conflict that happens inside a person's mind, often between opposing desires, beliefs, or duties.
Grammar: Countable; use 'an' or a plural: 'an internal struggle,' 'internal struggles.'
Patterns
- an internal struggle between something and something
- an internal struggle over something
- an internal struggle with something
She faced an internal struggle between her ambition and her loyalty to her family.
His internal struggle with addiction lasted for years before he sought help.
The novel portrays the protagonist's internal struggle over whether to betray his friend.
Word forms
| plural | internal struggles |
|---|
Common combinations
- face an internal struggle
- Many teenagers face an internal struggle about their identity.
- internal struggle between
- The film shows the internal struggle between duty and desire.
- internal struggle over
- There was an internal struggle over the decision to move abroad.
- deep internal struggle
- He went through a deep internal struggle before resigning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inner conflict
- Very similar, but 'inner conflict' often sounds more literary or psychological and may refer to a clash between distinct parts of the self.
- torn
- This is an adjective, not a noun; you feel torn, but you have an internal struggle.
Word family
- internally adverb
- In a way that relates to the inside or to the mind: 'She was internally conflicted.'
- struggle verb
- To try hard against difficulty: 'He struggled with his decision.'
Commonly confused: internal struggle or internal conflict?
internal struggle vs internal conflict
Often used interchangeably, but 'internal conflict' can also refer to a struggle within a group or organization, while 'internal struggle' is usually personal and mental.
Practice
She experienced a deep internal ______ between her career and her desire to travel.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'internal struggle' is a fixed noun phrase; 'struggle' is the correct singular noun. 'Struggling' is a verb form and would need a different structure, such as 'was struggling.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “internal struggle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.