hard-knock

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈnäk 

: marked by difficult or painful experiences or circumstances

For all of his gifts, Cabrera's greatest strength may be a toughness that came from his hard-knock life.

—Alan Shipnuck

Examples of hard-knock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This story of an orphan's hard-knock life is an optional add-on to a six- or seven-show Broadway series subscription. —Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024

But here the tale being told is not wistful but dynamic, its nostalgia sharpened with hard-knock realities, and its sentimentality offset with humor, snap and darkness. —Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024

Having spent over a decade playing troubled young women in films such as Atonement, Killer Joe, Afternoon Delight and Unsane, Temple had effectively established herself as a dramatic actress who could tap into the darkness of a hard-knock life many times over. —Max Gao, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above