the hard way
noun
: in a way that involves difficult or painful experiences
He found out the hard way that crime doesn't pay.
She insisted on doing things the hard way.
Examples of the hard way in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Steenburgen's son, filmmaker and fellow actor Charlie McDowell, learned this the hard way.
—
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
Yazeed Al Rajhi — rally driver, cafe chain owner, and most importantly, scion of one of Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest families — found this out the hard way this week.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
And after learning the hard way that the window down creates a barking fit, Kristina kept the child lock on to stop the window from rolling down.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
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Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
Yazeed Al Rajhi — rally driver, cafe chain owner, and most importantly, scion of one of Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest families — found this out the hard way this week.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
And after learning the hard way that the window down creates a barking fit, Kristina kept the child lock on to stop the window from rolling down.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
Cite this Entry
“The hard way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20hard%20way. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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