hardscrabble

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adjective hard·scrab·ble \ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl\

Definition of hardscrabble

1a : being or relating to a place of barren or barely arable soil a hardscrabble farm hardscrabble prairiesb : getting a meager living from poor soil a hardscrabble farmer
2 : marked by poverty a hardscrabble cotton town a hardscrabble childhood

See hardscrabble defined for English-language learners

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 of hardscrabble from the Web

But the film's standout may be Squires, a previously unknown 28-year-old who in interviews has spoken about her own hardscrabble upbringing.

— steven zeitchik, chicagotribune.com, "'I, Daniel Blake' review: Ken Loach calls attention to society's weakest", 1 June 2017
Ann Mah, under the spell of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, went to the Italian port city to track down the hardscrabble neighborhood where Ferrante’s characters Lenù and Lila grew up.

— liesl schillinger, New York Times, "Destinations Await in the Summer’s Best Travel Books", 30 May 2017
Her hardscrabble mom in Gone Baby Gone got an Oscar nod, but as quirky Holly on The Office, her Yoda voice won Michael’s heart.

— erik malinowski, WIRED, "Wire Alums Trade Baltimore for Geekville", 29 Mar. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hardscrabble'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.