the hard way
noun
: in a way that involves difficult or painful experiences
He found out the hard way that crime doesn't pay.
She insisted on doing things the hard way.
Examples of the hard way in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Camus learned this the hard way on a recent long-haul flight to Europe.
—
Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Tax literacy shouldn’t be left to guesswork or learned the hard way.
—Zoe Callaway, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
Ebony Morgan, who quit 2007's cycle 9 halfway through, learned that the hard way, as fellow model Ambreal Williams exclusively tells Entertainment Weekly what allegedly really happened the moment Morgan decided to oust herself from the competition.
—EW.com, 30 July 2025
Even Elon Musk is learning this lesson the hard way with Grok.
—Barry Libert, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
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.
Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Tax literacy shouldn’t be left to guesswork or learned the hard way.
—Zoe Callaway, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
Ebony Morgan, who quit 2007's cycle 9 halfway through, learned that the hard way, as fellow model Ambreal Williams exclusively tells Entertainment Weekly what allegedly really happened the moment Morgan decided to oust herself from the competition.
—EW.com, 30 July 2025
Even Elon Musk is learning this lesson the hard way with Grok.
—Barry Libert, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
Cite this Entry
“The hard way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20hard%20way. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share