hard-earned
adjective
: achieved or acquired through a lot of effort or hard work
Someone stole all her hard-earned money.
a hard-earned victory
Examples of hard-earned in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This positive experience was hard-earned after some rough years early in his career surrounding his rise to teen heartthrob fame with shows like One Tree Hill and Gilmore Girls.
—
H. Alan Scott
jennifer Cunningham, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Getty Images for Critics Choice Association Within Milioti’s Emmy category are fellow powerhouse actresses, who have also had long and hard-earned journeys within their careers - including Cate Blanchett, Meghann Fahy, Rashida Jones and Michelle Williams.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Founded in 2004, jkROCK began its journey under humble and hard-earned circumstances.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Nisha candidly expresses that due to her conviction, which is hard-earned, built on consistency and resilience, the current iteration of the e-commerce marketplace is thriving.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 18 July 2025
Her advice to others, particularly women taking creative control, is simple and hard-earned: Hang tight.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 4 June 2025
The work ethic came in handy at Aledo High School, a place with extremely successful athletics where every opportunity is hard-earned.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
And then, finally, Max Muncy walked it off with a sacrifice fly to deep center, easily scoring Ohtani from third for a victory that felt both hard-earned and hardly deserved.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Neither team cheats for offense, every inch of ice is hard-earned.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
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H. Alan Scott
jennifer Cunningham, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Getty Images for Critics Choice Association Within Milioti’s Emmy category are fellow powerhouse actresses, who have also had long and hard-earned journeys within their careers - including Cate Blanchett, Meghann Fahy, Rashida Jones and Michelle Williams.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Founded in 2004, jkROCK began its journey under humble and hard-earned circumstances.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Nisha candidly expresses that due to her conviction, which is hard-earned, built on consistency and resilience, the current iteration of the e-commerce marketplace is thriving.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 18 July 2025
Her advice to others, particularly women taking creative control, is simple and hard-earned: Hang tight.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 4 June 2025
The work ethic came in handy at Aledo High School, a place with extremely successful athletics where every opportunity is hard-earned.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
And then, finally, Max Muncy walked it off with a sacrifice fly to deep center, easily scoring Ohtani from third for a victory that felt both hard-earned and hardly deserved.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Neither team cheats for offense, every inch of ice is hard-earned.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-earned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-earned. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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