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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardscrabble
Vérité-realistic portrait of hardscrabble immigrant life this film is not.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Doug Marker of Encinitas was a professional skateboarder between 1977 and 1980, during the sport’s hardscrabble days.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
The candidates vied to establish their relatability, that most valuable of campaign currencies, by describing their own hardscrabble experiences.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Walters had a hardscrabble upbringing in Munfordville, Kentucky.
—Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Doug Marker of Encinitas was a professional skateboarder between 1977 and 1980, during the sport’s hardscrabble days.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
The candidates vied to establish their relatability, that most valuable of campaign currencies, by describing their own hardscrabble experiences.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Walters had a hardscrabble upbringing in Munfordville, Kentucky.
—Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
-
Introducing the setting with a majestic crane shot (particularly immersive in 3D), his camera soars above the cave and surveys the desolate landscape.—
Eric Kohn,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
-
For myself, having a Wrangler is the perfect vehicle to just drive these desolate roads.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The experience gave me a front-row seat to the coast’s dramatic beauty, and also a lesson in the abundance of the Arctic, a region often assumed to be barren.—
Karen Gardiner,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This isn't to say every single post-starburst galaxy is totally barren.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Democrats have attacked these anti-fraud policies as an effort to undermine safety net programs for the impoverished.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The redevelopment could begin unfolding as the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, the former Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, begins construction on a new $35 million headquarters in Clay Arsenal, two major projects for the long-impoverished neighborhood.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At first glance, AI companions for lonely seniors can seem dystopian, looking less like innovation than a bleak sign of social failure.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Things are impossibly bleak for the Rockets, which were without Kevin Durant for the second game this series.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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