Examples of hard-won in a Sentence
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Davis is wry and quietly defiant of stereotype, her Elaine’s composure hard-won and her sacrifice of certain kinds of sympathy fully comprehensible.
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Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Since then, various economic and societal changes and hard-won legal battles—like those establishing rights for the LGBTQ+ community to marry and adopt children—have challenged stereotypes obsolete in reality but not always in people's minds or the media.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
And while film festivals that are long-lived, and well-attended, may appear to be indestructible meeting places, these spaces are often fragile, hard-won and complex to preserve.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
This confidence was hard-won over decades, yet it is being squandered through recent reckless fiscal behavior.
—Les Rubin, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Hollingworth’s arrival at this joyful point was hard-won.
—Aimee Cliff, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
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
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Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Since then, various economic and societal changes and hard-won legal battles—like those establishing rights for the LGBTQ+ community to marry and adopt children—have challenged stereotypes obsolete in reality but not always in people's minds or the media.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
And while film festivals that are long-lived, and well-attended, may appear to be indestructible meeting places, these spaces are often fragile, hard-won and complex to preserve.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
This confidence was hard-won over decades, yet it is being squandered through recent reckless fiscal behavior.
—Les Rubin, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Hollingworth’s arrival at this joyful point was hard-won.
—Aimee Cliff, Pitchfork, 16 Jan. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Hard-won.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-won. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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