hardscrabble

American  

[hahrd-skrab-uhl] / ˈhɑrdˌskræb əl /

adjective

1. providing or yielding meagerly in return for much effort; demanding or unrewarding.

   the hardscrabble existence of mountainside farmers.

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hardscrabble British  

/ ˈhɑːdˌskræbəl /

noun

1. (modifier) (of a place) difficult to make a living in; barren

2. great effort made in the face of difficulties

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Etymology

Origin of hardscrabble

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; hard + scrabble

Explanation

Something described as hardscrabble is difficult and challenging. Many people overcome a hardscrabble childhood and go on to achieve their dreams. During an economic depression, many people's lives become hardscrabble, as they fight to find work, or are unable to pay their bills without working two or three jobs. This sense of struggling just to metaphorically keep your head above water captures the meaning of hardscrabble. It's an early 19th-century coinage, first written in Lewis and Clark's journals, and referring to an imaginary place "where a livelihood may be obtained only under great hardship and difficulty."

Example Sentences

GROTON, Conn.— Thirty-five years ago, the end of the Cold War drained this hardscrabble coastal manufacturing town of its chief purpose: building America’s submarines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

An exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum offers a nuanced view of the artist, who became beloved for her folksy works during the final decades of her hardscrabble life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung praised the resolve of Brazil's leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of talks in Seoul on Monday, saying both rose to the top from hardscrabble beginnings.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Many of Duvall’s characters had hardscrabble backgrounds, but Duvall grew up in privilege.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

But this hardscrabble place has brought me so much more than that.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson