hard-fought
adjective
1
: requiring a lot of effort or hard work
He won a hard-fought campaign for reelection.
2
: achieved or acquired through a lot of effort or hard work
a hard-fought victory/triumph
Examples of hard-fought in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s been hard-fought for every inch of ice out of there.
—
Michael Russo, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
With control of the court on the line, the formally nonpartisan election was always going to be expensive and hard-fought, but Mr. Musk’s investment beginning in mid-February supercharged the stakes, attention and cash flowing into the state.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
The other was the vigorous argument between abstraction and figuration as front runner of the avant-garde, then being hard-fought in the American art world.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article The Knicks’ first game without Jalen Brunson went as expected: hard-fought until the end, where New York missed its captain and All-Star clutch performer.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
This came as a surprise to many, especially considering Ishii's more recent lengthy and hard-fought draw against Gabe Kidd at NJPW's Battle in the Valley, which ran for an impressive 30 minutes.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
The deal was hard-fought and hammered out in secret, and its future remains uncertain.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
Both sides of the issue are already gearing up for what is likely to be an expensive and hard-fought fight as Alaska remains one of only two states where the system is used statewide.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2024
Many CHROs cite positive and hard-fought reasons for employees staying, such as people enjoying their work, colleagues, managers, and company cultures.
—John M. Bremen, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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Michael Russo, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
With control of the court on the line, the formally nonpartisan election was always going to be expensive and hard-fought, but Mr. Musk’s investment beginning in mid-February supercharged the stakes, attention and cash flowing into the state.
—Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
The other was the vigorous argument between abstraction and figuration as front runner of the avant-garde, then being hard-fought in the American art world.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article The Knicks’ first game without Jalen Brunson went as expected: hard-fought until the end, where New York missed its captain and All-Star clutch performer.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
This came as a surprise to many, especially considering Ishii's more recent lengthy and hard-fought draw against Gabe Kidd at NJPW's Battle in the Valley, which ran for an impressive 30 minutes.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
The deal was hard-fought and hammered out in secret, and its future remains uncertain.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
Both sides of the issue are already gearing up for what is likely to be an expensive and hard-fought fight as Alaska remains one of only two states where the system is used statewide.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2024
Many CHROs cite positive and hard-fought reasons for employees staying, such as people enjoying their work, colleagues, managers, and company cultures.
—John M. Bremen, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Hard-fought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-fought. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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