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
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
The endangered shorebird pair chose Montrose Beach as their summer nesting spot, going on to break records, fledge chicks and serve as symbols for a city as hopeful and hardscrabble as two birds, individually weighing less than a stick of butter, who picked an urban beach to save their species.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
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
The endangered shorebird pair chose Montrose Beach as their summer nesting spot, going on to break records, fledge chicks and serve as symbols for a city as hopeful and hardscrabble as two birds, individually weighing less than a stick of butter, who picked an urban beach to save their species.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
-
Construction sites and other workplaces have been desolate.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
15 June 2025
-
Her 12-day flight included crossing the rugged Ural Mountains and desolate Siberian wastes, while navigating with only a map and compass.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
In Zimbabwe, the Catholic Church operates about 100 schools, ranging from dozens in impoverished areas where annual tuition is as low as $150 to elite boarding schools that can charge thousands of dollars.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
-
Some government functions were eviscerated, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had provided a lifeline for impoverished people around the world.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Richards’ finish saved the U.S. in what was otherwise a listless appearance in front of a barren home crowd at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
-
Transatlantic flights from northern Europe — London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen — routinely cross the southern half of the island, the bright, barren ice sheet often visible for up to an hour of cruising speed.—
Morten Høi Jensen,
The Dial,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
During that bleak era, Che-Chung Tsai, a researcher at the University of Washington, contacted several companies, seeking experimental drugs for use in an animal study.—
Jon Cohen,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
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That said, Google’s latest survey paints a bleak picture.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Orlik, who was seventy-seven, was in poor health and desperate to get his pictures back.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
17 June 2025
-
Despite being poor, India’s democracy thrived as its leaders managed the country’s political fortunes through open competition.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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