hardscrabble

adjective

hard·​scrab·​ble ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl How to pronounce hardscrabble (audio)
Synonyms of hardscrabblenext
1
a
: being or relating to a place of barren or barely arable soil
a hardscrabble farm
hardscrabble prairies
b
: getting a meager living from poor soil
a hardscrabble farmer
2
: marked by poverty
a hardscrabble mill town
a hardscrabble childhood

Synonyms of hardscrabble

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Examples of hardscrabble in a Sentence

He lived a hardscrabble life. it was hard to eke out even a bare existence on the hardscrabble lands
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The film’s aesthetics begin with a fairly clear delineation between moviemaking magic and hardscrabble reality. — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026 Hailing from London as the son of hardscrabble fruit sellers, Winstone was often asked to channel his rough-and-tumble upbringing and pre-acting career as a boxer into mobster and villain roles. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026 Each of those pieces of her public-facing persona seemed to naturally grow from a vast discography where Parton established herself as hardscrabble, emotionally forthright and full of intuition. — Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026 But as Samantha's reporting shows, those consolidations have stalled over the past three years — despite the continuing pressures of declining enrollment and hardscrabble finances. — Mike Trautmann, Des Moines Register, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hardscrabble was in 1879

Rhymes for hardscrabble

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Browse Nearby Words

hard science
hardscrabble
hard seed
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Cite this Entry

“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardscrabble. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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