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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Recent Examples of hardscrabble
And while the epicenter of this movement is in Hardwick, Vermont – a town of 1,000 people that has transformed itself from a hardscrabble rural hamlet into a mecca of food and sustainability – the impacts go well beyond it.
—
Riley Robinson, Christian Science Monitor, 8 June 2025
To someone from a hardscrabble life, Hartford seemed so posh and civilized to him.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
Commoners could look forward to a paltry thirty-five or forty years of a hardscrabble existence, without the benefit of medicine, dentistry, or a decent sewage system.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Riley Robinson, Christian Science Monitor, 8 June 2025
To someone from a hardscrabble life, Hartford seemed so posh and civilized to him.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
Commoners could look forward to a paltry thirty-five or forty years of a hardscrabble existence, without the benefit of medicine, dentistry, or a decent sewage system.
—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
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Griffith also describes in vivid detail the desolate Hopi landscape and the villages atop the three mesas.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
13 July 2025
-
Despite its desolate appearance, Bouvet is surprisingly rich in bird life.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Many are located in impoverished barrios dominated by criminals — who are now demanding a cut of their tuition fees.—
John Otis,
NPR,
7 July 2025
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The ignorant need cultural immersion at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, which tells the story of those who fled the Cuban island that went from a free, prosperous republic to an oppressive, impoverished dictatorship within a single generation.—
Luka Ladan,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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The jetliner heading to Nairobi lost control shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and nose-dived into a barren patch of land.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 July 2025
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Bandits, raiders, and more monsters crawl the barren landscape.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Some traders said the numbers were less severe than analysts' bleak forecasts.—
Sabrina Valle,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
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No one is as funny and as bleak in the same sentence, or maybe even the same word.—
Literary Hub
July 1,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
In Miami’s poorer communities, such as Allapattah and Liberty City, a helicopter inspection suggested extensive roof damage to homes, businesses and churches.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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But August is perhaps a poor month in which to rally the staff.—
John Updike,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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