hardscrabble

adjective

ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl How to pronounce hardscrabble (audio)
Definition of hardscrabblenext
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation it was hard to eke out even a bare existence on the hardscrabble lands

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hardscrabble In San Isidro, a movement was born Castillo and Otero grew up in San Isidro, a working class, hardscrabble neighborhood abutting the wharfs near the Port of Havana, and became friends – one a rapper, the other a visual artist. — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 13 May 2026 State Republican chairman Ben Proto, who will oversee the convention, pointed to New Britain city hall because it is now run by a Democratic mayor and former state legislator who took over when Stewart declined to seek re-election and left office in the hardscrabble city. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026 Hoyos has come a long way from a hardscrabble childhood. — Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026 Through it all, however, West struggled with depression and a sense of self-loathing, and had trouble with intimacy, much of it a by-product of a hardscrabble childhood in West Virginia with a domineering father. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
  1. desolate
  2. barren
  3. impoverished
  4. bleak
  5. poor
Adjective
  • However desolate Mars may appear from afar, there is certainly no shortage of activity on its surface — or discoveries still waiting to be made.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 17 July 2026
  • Despite the property damage, the New Jersey meteorite fragments are a rare reminder that asteroids aren’t always desolate, inert rocks.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 July 2026
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • The Eye network served as lead broadcaster for the VMAs this year — stripping an already barren MTV of its flagship event.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 July 2026
  • Wild Orchard Farmstead on Jeju Island exemplifies regenerative organic agriculture, transforming barren land over 25 years into a thriving tea ecosystem.
    — Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
  • Younger people are more likely to embrace socialism than older voters raised during the Cold War, for whom socialism may conjure images of an impoverished, freedom-less society like the former Communist bloc in Eastern Europe.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of impoverished
Adjective
  • Outside of Duran’s efforts, though, the Rangers’ offense was bleak.
    — Cal Phillips Updated July 11, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 July 2026
  • Indeed, Brocka insists on escapist fantasies in a world that otherwise offers no escape, which, in my view, is more hopeful than bleak — and, in turn, allows this kind of gritty sensuality to persist in his ever-enduring, luminous cinema.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Prolonged exposure to heat can lead to insufficient or poor sleep, compromising the immune system, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease and diminishing cognitive performance.
    — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • On top of this, subterranean drip systems often clog with mineral deposits, sediment, and algae, which Nad warns may eventually require repairs or replacement of portions of the system, particularly in areas with hard water or poor filtration.
    — Kamron Sanders, The Spruce, 13 July 2026
Definition of poor

Browse Nearby Words

hard put
hardscrabble
hard-shell
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Cite this Entry

“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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