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
Bakersfield, his album with singer and songwriter Vince Gill, was a tribute to the classic country sound emerging from a California destination for migrants during the hardscrabble days of the Dust Bowl.
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Neda Ulaby, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
Rison played with a fire first lit on the hardscrabble streets of Flint, Mich., where, as a high school star, a local mobster — Rison calls him Mafia Sal — would slip him wads of cash from time to time, urging him to pick a particular college and sign with a particular agent.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
His hardscrabble background gives him a genuine connection to the white working-class voters who animate Trump’s base and will have outsize influence in the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 15 July 2024
Six weeks after the perplexing murders, across the country in a small, hardscrabble Pennsylvania town in the Poconos, Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology graduate student, was arrested.
—Howard Blum, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hardscrabble 
Neda Ulaby, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
Rison played with a fire first lit on the hardscrabble streets of Flint, Mich., where, as a high school star, a local mobster — Rison calls him Mafia Sal — would slip him wads of cash from time to time, urging him to pick a particular college and sign with a particular agent.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
His hardscrabble background gives him a genuine connection to the white working-class voters who animate Trump’s base and will have outsize influence in the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 15 July 2024
Six weeks after the perplexing murders, across the country in a small, hardscrabble Pennsylvania town in the Poconos, Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology graduate student, was arrested.
—Howard Blum, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hardscrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardscrabble
Adjective
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Compared to the desolate, almost alien landscape of South Dakota, the North Dakota badlands are flush with vibrant vegetation: Rocky Mountain juniper woodlands, cottonwoods that thrive in the Little Missouri River basin, and sunflowers, asters, and rabbitbrush that bloom in the late summer months.Erica Zazo, Outside Online, 9 Jan. 2025
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After the twinkling lights of the holiday season have been packed away, winter can feel downright dull and desolate, especially for families with energetic kids trapped inside by the cold.Erica Jackson Curran, Parents, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Mason Fung’s impoverished young defendant Ma Ka Kit is arrested after receiving a package of narcotics from overseas.James Marsh, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
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Since Sudan’s civil war drove a surge of refugees to Egypt starting in 2023, however, the impoverished government in Cairo has complained louder and louder about the burden of foreigners.Vivian Yee, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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California officials are proposing making looting during a local emergency a felony, as wildfires continue to blaze through parts of their state, leaving barren neighborhoods susceptible to such crime.Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2025
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In one glance, an observer can see the barren, airless lunar surface and a cold, desert planet that once harbored rivers, lakes, and potentially life, all while standing on our own planet, an oasis in the cosmos.Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But beneath Pansy’s rage, often a source of that specific, bleak brand of Mike Leigh comedy, lies severe OCD, anxiety, depression, and the grief of having recently lost her mother.Radhika Seth, Vogue, 7 Jan. 2025
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While the art world has felt bleak amid a buckling market, a new art fair is gracing Los Angeles this year.Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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With sleep disorders affecting approximately 70 million Americans and poor sleep linked to serious health risks like heart disease, stroke and cognitive decline, the Tone Buds represent a significant advancement in personal sleep technology.Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 12 Jan. 2025
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Everybody connected to the death of this poor guy is dead now.Makena Gera, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near hardscrabble
Cite this Entry
“Hardscrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardscrabble. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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