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
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Recent Examples of hardscrabble
And while the epicenter of this movement is in Hardwick, Vermont – a town of 1,000 people that has transformed itself from a hardscrabble rural hamlet into a mecca of food and sustainability – the impacts go well beyond it.
—
Riley Robinson, Christian Science Monitor, 8 June 2025
To someone from a hardscrabble life, Hartford seemed so posh and civilized to him.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
Commoners could look forward to a paltry thirty-five or forty years of a hardscrabble existence, without the benefit of medicine, dentistry, or a decent sewage system.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Kathy Bates plays Dolores, a hardscrabble Maine housekeeper who hasn't seen her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), in 15 years.
—EW.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Riley Robinson, Christian Science Monitor, 8 June 2025
To someone from a hardscrabble life, Hartford seemed so posh and civilized to him.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
Commoners could look forward to a paltry thirty-five or forty years of a hardscrabble existence, without the benefit of medicine, dentistry, or a decent sewage system.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Kathy Bates plays Dolores, a hardscrabble Maine housekeeper who hasn't seen her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), in 15 years.
—EW.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
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For starters, no one would ever describe them as empty or desolate.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
Of the 14 missiles, 13 were intercepted, with the final munition allowed to land harmlessly in a desolate area.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The impoverished duke needs Gladys' dowry to prop up his family's estate, and Bertha may have promised him a bit too much without informing George or taking Gladys' wishes into account.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
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Known collectively as Hessians, since most Germans hired by London to fight in America came from Hesse-Kassel, this contingent was largely from the small, impoverished duchy of Brunswick, whose ruling family had intermarried with the British royal family.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Work and plans are changing what was once a barren landscape into a new neighborhood.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2025
-
As the moon progresses through the different phases of the lunar calendar, the sun's light throws new impact sites, barren plains, and swathes of broken landscapes into relief as prime targets for amateur astronomers wielding binoculars and backyard telescopes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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Some traders said the numbers were less severe than analysts' bleak forecasts.—
Sabrina Valle,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
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No one is as funny and as bleak in the same sentence, or maybe even the same word.—
Literary Hub
July 1,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Despite having a poor 2024 season that saw the Pirates remove Bednar from the closer role, the right-hander is back to his dominant form.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
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The key drivers are BGE’s soaring spending and profits and poor management by PJM Interconnection, the private entity that operates our electric grid.—
Emily Scarr,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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