hard done by

phrase

British
: treated harshly or unfairly
He felt very hard done by when he was laid off after many years of faithful service.

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Cite this Entry

“Hard done by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard%20done%20by. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

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