hard-hit

adjective

ˈhärd-ˌhit 

: profoundly stricken : affected in an especially negative way

one of the industries particularly hard-hit during the downturn

Examples of hard-hit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many such workers have been especially hard-hit by the inflation of the past few years, which has raised the cost of necessities like housing, day care and food much more than other goods and services. —Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Dec. 2025

This holiday season, many American small businesses and consumers remain hard-hit. —Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 3 Dec. 2025

Fifty percent of balls hit registered as hard-hit, and his average exit velocity (91 percent) ranked just outside the top 20 percent of qualified hitters last season. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025

Large portions of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts are expected to be particularly hard-hit, with severe consequences for local economies and infrastructure. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above