Main Entry: hard·scrab·ble

Pronunciation: \ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl\

Function: adjective

Date: 1804

1 a : being or relating to a place of barren or barely arable soil <a hardscrabble farm> <hardscrabble prairies> b : getting a meager living from poor soil <a hardscrabble farmer>
2 : marked by poverty <a hardscrabble cotton town> <a hardscrabble childhood>