hardscrabble
adjective
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Definition of hardscrabble
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Synonyms & Antonyms for hardscrabble
Synonyms
barren, bony (also boney), dead, desolate, impoverished, infertile, poor, stark, unfertile, unproductive, waste
Antonyms
fertile, fruitful, lush, luxuriant, productive, rich
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Examples of hardscrabble in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
No longer an only child with ample urban comforts, she must get used to a hardscrabble life in the Abruzzo countryside, with taciturn parents who beat their offspring and cruel brothers who torment her. — The Economist, "The story of a lost girl," 29 June 2019 Despite the scriptâs name-dropping of Rochester, Ithaca and the Bills â fun for an Upstate boy like myself â none of the castâs leading men is particularly believable as a blue-collar steel worker from that hardscrabble corner of the world. — Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, "âThe Full Montyâ: Fun can be enough | Review," 5 Aug. 2019 Michael Priest Michiganâs Upper Peninsula encompasses more than 16,000 square miles of northern hardwood forest, broken here and there by hardscrabble towns whose year-round population is slowly bleeding away. — Bruce Barcott, New York Times, "Even in Hemingwayâs Woods, Sometimes a Man Needs to Cry," 2 Aug. 2019 Both were instilled in him growing up in the hardscrabble environs of Aliquippa, a steel mill town where football is both religion and diversion. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Ty Law was driven to prove people wrong, and that made him a no-doubt Hall of Famer," 1 Aug. 2019 A week after 22-year-old Habali was shot, Palestinian teenager Mahmoud Nakhleh sat chatting with friends outside the hardscrabble West Bank refugee camp of Jalazon. — Washington Post, "Israeli probes into deaths of Palestinians often go nowhere," 22 July 2019 Thatâs decent pay, especially in this hardscrabble area where living-wage jobs are scarce and a low unemployment rate masks significant structural problems in the labor market. — Don Lee, latimes.com, "Casualty of trade war: Chinese investments in U.S. grind to a halt, blocking new jobs," 1 July 2019 Yet many Irish families came to regard him as a swindler who promised an Eden but delivered a hardscrabble existence. — Peter Duffy, WSJ, "âWhen the Irish Invaded Canadaâ Review: The Irish Are Coming!," 16 June 2019 There is the stumbling through a romantic subplot that ultimately shows a far more accomplished and emotionally mature female character lessening herself to heal the hardscrabble athlete unable to cope with life off the field. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "Can Tom Cruise Lift âAll the Right Movesâ Above the Football Movie Fray?," 21 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hardscrabble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for hardscrabble
hardscrabble
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of hardscrabble
See the full definition for hardscrabble in the English Language Learners Dictionary