hard-won

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈwən 

: gained by great effort

a hard-won victory

Examples of hard-won in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His debonair manner—which came to embody an American ideal of sophistication even more than an English one—was as hard-won as Edmund Hillary’s summit. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Getting there meant the rapid dismantling of some of her hard-won skills. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

Tate captures the tension between opportunity and limitation, reminding readers that equality is often pursued in spaces where recognition is hard-won. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026

O’Keeffe’s was a feminism of rugged individuality, which for her had been hard-won. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above