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

Any adversary who confuses media noise with American weakness will discover the truth the hard way. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Lord of the Rings alum and current SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin learned that lesson the hard way, coming up under the gilded wing of Hollywood legend Patty Duke. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Universities discovered something many businesses learn the hard way. — Scott White, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Instead of the easy way, Sugar now has to pursue the hard way to solve his Ray problem. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026

Rhymes for the hard way

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway