hardscrabble

adjective

ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl How to pronounce hardscrabble (audio)
Definition of hardscrabblenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 hardscrabble In San Isidro, a movement was born Castillo and Otero grew up in San Isidro, a working class, hardscrabble neighborhood abutting the wharfs near the Port of Havana, and became friends – one a rapper, the other a visual artist. — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 13 May 2026 In this new collection, Georgia poet laureate Chelsea Rathburn explores a hardscrabble childhood in Florida and her family of colorful characters including a sometimes-homeless bag lady and a notorious bank robber. — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 21 June 2026 State Republican chairman Ben Proto, who will oversee the convention, pointed to New Britain city hall because it is now run by a Democratic mayor and former state legislator who took over when Stewart declined to seek re-election and left office in the hardscrabble city. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026 When The Last Ship, a musical that serves as an elegy to Wallsend, the hardscrabble Northern England shipyard town Sting grew up in, debuted on Broadway in 2014, the critical reception was disappointing. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
  1. desolate
  2. barren
  3. impoverished
  4. bleak
  5. poor
Adjective
  • Walking around the tiny outpost offers an understanding of just how vast and desolate this arid part of the country can be.
    — Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026
  • In the summer it had been packed with people out on the streets, by the fall is was desolate.
    — Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 27 June 2026
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • Besides, nobody was going to believe that humanity's nemesis hailed from Mars after the Viking landers had sent back photos of a barren, dead world.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 July 2026
  • Its location on barren, massive Fort Bliss land also allowed for a space that could hold up to 10,000 unauthorized immigrants at a time, more than any other facility in the country.
    — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026
Definition of barren
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
  • Houssem Aouar finally spied a gap in the Austrian defence and sent Mahrez through to score, sparking jubilation before Sasa Kalajdzic’s header confirmed a ridiculous ending to a game that was dramatic, bleak and then dramatic again.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Kehoe pointed to the state’s bleak finances in a statement explaining his cuts on Tuesday.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of bleak
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

Browse Nearby Words

hard put
hardscrabble
hard-shell
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Cite this Entry

“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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