: 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.
This confidence was hard-won over decades, yet it is being squandered through recent reckless fiscal behavior. Les Rubin, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026 Sizable, steadfast subscriber bases are hard-won, and keeping them involves the fulfillment of an unspoken contract as well as the actual one that paying readers sign. John Williams, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026 Hollingworth’s arrival at this joyful point was hard-won. Aimee Cliff, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026 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 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 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 20 Mar. 2026.

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