hard-luck

adjective

ˈhärd-ˌlək How to pronounce hard-luck (audio)
Synonyms of hard-lucknext
: marked by, relating to, or experiencing bad luck or difficulty
another loss for the team's hard-luck pitcher
hard-luck stories

Synonyms of hard-luck

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Examples of hard-luck in a Sentence

a hard-luck ball club that never could get the breaks it needed
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.
There’s some dark subject matter, and some hard-luck people on the fringes. — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Lauridsen, a junior right-hander, has been a hard-luck pitcher this season. — Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 5 May 2026 Both her audition and her callback had fallen flat, but the company must have figured that casting an amateur from hard-luck Butte as Lucetta would make good press. — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 For Coronado, the hard-luck loser was freshman Quinn Smock, who pitched six innings, allowed one unearned run on three hits and struck out seven. — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hard-luck

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-luck was in 1890

Rhymes for hard-luck

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Browse Nearby Words

hard liver
hard-luck
hardly
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Cite this Entry

“Hard-luck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-luck. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hard-luck

adjective
ˈhärd-ˌlək
: marked by, relating to, or experiencing bad luck
hard-luck stories
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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