: gained by great effort
a hard-won victory

Examples of hard-won in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Her mother is sliding into late-stage dementia, and Ash yearns for a new source of meaning, something substantial and hard-won. Lauren Boersma Harris, New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2025 Crawford believes people should consider these jobs as valid options that offer stability—something that seems hard-won these days. Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025 Healing is slow, and every small moment of peace feels hard-won. Brandi Hicken, Time, 12 Dec. 2025 This unique and hard-won balance is more difficult to sustain when the university, lacking standardized benchmarks, must educate students who have not mastered the K–12 curriculum. Akos Rona Tas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2025 The dialogue seems to arise from a disagreement within; the words that her characters speak feel hard-won in a secret battle. Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 The federal recognition was hard-won, having come after a wave of unrest among workers and labor activists put the issue of workers' rights into public view. Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025 That growth has been hard-won for the singer, who has taken control of her mental health after seeking help for a Xanax addiction in 2020. Jeff Nelson, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025 Traditionally, music making has required hard-won skills - the infamous 10,000 hours of practice - plus a certain amount of money to buy guitars, amps, computers, software and studio equipment. Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-won was in 1586

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Cite this Entry

“Hard-won.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-won. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.

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