hardscrabble
adjective
hard·scrab·ble
ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl 
1
a
: being or relating to a place of barren or barely arable soil
a hardscrabble farm
hardscrabble prairies
b
: getting a meager living from poor soil
a hardscrabble farmer
2
: marked by poverty
a hardscrabble cotton town
a hardscrabble childhood
Synonyms
Examples of hardscrabble in a Sentence
He lived a hardscrabble life.
it was hard to eke out even a bare existence on the hardscrabble lands
Recent Examples on the Web
That series has documented the revitalization of the hardscrabble town that accompanied the influx of capital for the storied team, which is one of the oldest football clubs in the world but had fallen on hard times.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 July 2024
The hillbilly itch and hardscrabble soul of 49 Winchester (4:15 p.m.) put the sextet at the intersection of indie rock and backwoods country.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2024
Tough race The race is in the 58th district, historically Democratic, which includes the hardscrabble Thompsonville section of working-class citizens east of the Connecticut River and west of Interstate 91.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2024
Jackson’s men were mostly the hardscrabble sort who’d established farms along the western rivers—the flatboaters, in other words.
—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hardscrabble 
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 July 2024
The hillbilly itch and hardscrabble soul of 49 Winchester (4:15 p.m.) put the sextet at the intersection of indie rock and backwoods country.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2024
Tough race The race is in the 58th district, historically Democratic, which includes the hardscrabble Thompsonville section of working-class citizens east of the Connecticut River and west of Interstate 91.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2024
Jackson’s men were mostly the hardscrabble sort who’d established farms along the western rivers—the flatboaters, in other words.
—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hardscrabble
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hardscrabble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hardscrabble
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardscrabble. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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