as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
it was hard to eke out even a bare existence on the hardscrabble lands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hardscrabble
Like Macy, Silas is smart and ambitious, from a hardscrabble family.
—
Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Technological marvels do little to ameliorate the hardscrabble existence of most workers; sixty-five-year labor contracts are the norm.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Generations of locals left hardscrabble poverty on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, for opportunities abroad.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025
Here is the emphasis on the hardscrabble beginnings and obstacles to be overcome, here is the recognition of a truly raw but once-in-a-lifetime talent that converts the nonbelivers, here are the early wins and the training montages and the tragedies and the comebacks.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Technological marvels do little to ameliorate the hardscrabble existence of most workers; sixty-five-year labor contracts are the norm.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Generations of locals left hardscrabble poverty on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, for opportunities abroad.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025
Here is the emphasis on the hardscrabble beginnings and obstacles to be overcome, here is the recognition of a truly raw but once-in-a-lifetime talent that converts the nonbelivers, here are the early wins and the training montages and the tragedies and the comebacks.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
-
Gibney illustrates that state of waiting, of staving off what at that time appears to be the inevitable, with the famous sequence from Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, in which Max von Sydow’s medieval knight plays chess with Death on a desolate beach.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Tautly written, this first novel by a former criminal lawyer who spent 17 years in the Arctic is a hard look at the desolate lives of people resigned to life in the bleak far north.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The president cites national security concerns—despite existing approvals to expand militarily—and the potentially rich natural resources on the icy, largely barren territory.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
And where there was once snow and ice just a few decades ago, there are now areas of shrub, along with barren rock and wetlands, the 2024 study reported.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The minerals Kajumba and hundreds of thousands of impoverished Congolese were digging up allowed the rest of the world to enjoy the benefits of electricity, but the benefits to the people of Congo were woefully limited.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Brooks speaks colorfully and candidly, starting with his impoverished Brooklyn childhood, raised with three brothers by his mother after his father died of tuberculosis.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Tautly written, this first novel by a former criminal lawyer who spent 17 years in the Arctic is a hard look at the desolate lives of people resigned to life in the bleak far north.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Both Bird and Clausen play this mounting nightmare with the appropriate ache and desperation, elevating the emotional tenor of Chiarella’s sad, frequently bleak film.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
According to Jabra’s research, 99% of knowledge workers say poor audio quality impacts their online meetings and call quality.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
While the pandemic hit everyone all at once, the recovery from that jolt has taken place on two diverging tracks, with the well-off getting wealthier and the poor getting poorer.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
