hardscrabble
adjective
hard·scrab·ble
ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl 
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 cotton town
a hardscrabble childhood
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
Kathy Bates plays Dolores, a hardscrabble Maine housekeeper who hasn't seen her estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh), in 15 years.
—
EW.com, 23 May 2025
The endangered shorebird pair chose Montrose Beach as their summer nesting spot, going on to break records, fledge chicks and serve as symbols for a city as hopeful and hardscrabble as two birds, individually weighing less than a stick of butter, who picked an urban beach to save their species.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
Jennifer Tilly, a poker champ and scream queen, talks about her hardscrabble past and fortunate present.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Chuck Dixon’s books are pretty hardscrabble — Tampa, Florida, really raw.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
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EW.com, 23 May 2025
The endangered shorebird pair chose Montrose Beach as their summer nesting spot, going on to break records, fledge chicks and serve as symbols for a city as hopeful and hardscrabble as two birds, individually weighing less than a stick of butter, who picked an urban beach to save their species.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
Jennifer Tilly, a poker champ and scream queen, talks about her hardscrabble past and fortunate present.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Chuck Dixon’s books are pretty hardscrabble — Tampa, Florida, really raw.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardscrabble. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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