HARD UP Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

hard up

adjective

Definition of hard up

as in poor

lacking money or material possessions despite being undeniably hard up, they had too much pride to accept charity

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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.

Recent Examples of hard up This letter descended to Charles Austen and thence to his granddaughters, who, hard up, sold it in the 1920s, part of a larger cache of relics and manuscripts. — Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025 The surge of federal immigration agents in Minnesota over the past few months left many people not only traumatized but financially hard up. — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026 And yet there never truly seemed to be a complete embrace, not with Erik Spoelstra a defense-first coach, not with the Heat hard up against the cap when Herro stood up for contract renewal. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026 Starring Jocelin Donahue as a college student hard up for cash who takes on a suspicious babysitting gig, The House of the Devil is a Ti West masterpiece. — Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard up

Adjective

Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.

— William McCarthy, NPR, 4 July 2026

Definition of impoverished

Adjective

There were complaints about the car traffic and the financial cost to the broke city.

— Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 30 June 2026
Three years into his term, America wasn't broke, but the stock market did experience some of its biggest single-day losses during the coronavirus pandemic.

— Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026

Definition of broke

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hardtops

hard up

hardware

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“Hard up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20up. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of hard up

adjective

Example Sentences

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