Synonyms of hardscrabble

hardscrabble

adjective

ˈhärd-ˌskra-bəl 

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

• desolate
• impoverished
• barren
• bleak
• poor
• waste
• bony
• unfertile
• stark
• unproductive
• infertile
• desert
• dry
• boney
• inhospitable
• dead
• lifeless
• thirsty
• uncultivable
• arid
• sunbaked
• depleted
• drained
• exhausted
• droughty
• spent
• reduced
• consumed
• diminished
• enfeebled
• untillable
• waterless
• debilitated
• rainless
• sere
• dried-up
• parched
• sear
• baked
• dehydrated
• expended
• lessened
• bankrupted
• used up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fertile
• rich
• productive
• fruitful
• lush
• luxuriant
• arable
• green
• tillable
• verdant
• sylvan

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hardscrabble

Grant Leonard, Queens’ 43-year-old head coach, had a hardscrabble existence on the fringes of college basketball for the first decade of his career. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2025

Waukegan is counting on the project to boost its downtown economy, but this hardscrabble city will have to wait at least a couple more years for a grand opening. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025

Now, after 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel, the water system in Gaza has gone from hardscrabble and tenuous to virtually nonexistent. —Claudine Ebeid, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2025

Sorenstam is humbled by her place in the LPGA Tour’s history and her sport’s hardscrabble roots. —Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2025