Flounder

medium

FLOWN-der

verb

Definition

To struggle clumsily or helplessly; to be in serious difficulty

Examples

The economy continued to flounder despite government intervention.
Without proper training, new employees often flounder.

Synonyms

strugglestumblefumblefalter

Antonyms

thriveflourishprosperexcel

Categories

GRE Tip

Flounder is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "struggle" or "stumble" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "thrive".

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