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
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Recent Examples of hardscrabble
Here, in a former metal yard turned residential drug rehabilitation center just outside of town, the 40-year-old arrived after years of addiction that began around the time opioid pain pills flooded into the hardscrabble region’s mountains and valleys.
—
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Barrett has played the hardscrabble, fiercely devoted emergency room charge nurse since the show's first season, which premiered in 2015.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Most bulldog gravy makers use milk, but there are hardscrabble versions made with water.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
Strawberry, an outfielder who grew up playing on the hardscrabble streets of South Central Los Angeles, was part of the hard-partying, hard-charging 1986 Mets team that brought the second-ever World Series championship to Queens.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Barrett has played the hardscrabble, fiercely devoted emergency room charge nurse since the show's first season, which premiered in 2015.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Most bulldog gravy makers use milk, but there are hardscrabble versions made with water.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
Strawberry, an outfielder who grew up playing on the hardscrabble streets of South Central Los Angeles, was part of the hard-partying, hard-charging 1986 Mets team that brought the second-ever World Series championship to Queens.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
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Bir Tawil, for instance — a desolate parcel of desert on the Egyptian-Sudanese border.—
Richard Collett,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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To find the killer, Sherlock Holmes and Watson will have to brave desolate moors before a family curse dooms the newest heirs.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Whatever your candy preference, no one wants to spend the evening strolling barren streets hoping to find some goodies.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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An arid, barren landscape with extreme temperature swings from 45 to -40 degrees Celsius (113 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The film, which world premiered in the Berlinale’s Perspectives sidebar, follows an impoverished but determined family put to test when the father, who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is accused of murder.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
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Sanctions have crippled the government’s primary source of revenue, oil exports, limiting the state’s ability to provide for millions of impoverished Iranians through social safety nets.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While the eradication of our species might sound like a bleak ending note, Lanthimos tells EW that audiences are divided on whether the film presents a hopeful or pessimistic view of the future.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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Duffy painted a bleak scene at airports if the shutdown is not ended before Thanksgiving travel.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Ministry of Environment blamed this year’s surge on a poor acorn harvest – which drove a similar spate of attacks in 2023.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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