hardscrabble

[ hahrd-skrab-uh l ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌskræb əl /

adjective

providing or yielding meagerly in return for much effort; demanding or unrewarding: the hardscrabble existence of mountainside farmers.

Nearby words

Origin of hardscrabble

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hardscrabble

Their harrowing escape to Erbil has ended in a precarious and hardscrabble existence.
Church Bells Fall Silent in Mosul as Iraq’s Christians Flee|Andrew Doran, Drew Bowling|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this hardscrabble, prairie town, with its population of 5,000 people, cast its charm on Ballantine.
Death in the Heartland: What Happened to Steven Haataja?|Tim Teeman|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For many fans, her hardscrabble youth and rough-and-tumble style were viewed as endearing strengths.
ESPN’s ‘The Price of Gold’ Revisits the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan Scandal|Amy Zimmerman|January 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At Big Valley, a co-ed pre-K-12 in hardscrabble Modesto, Calif., the trip to Washington D.C. has been an annual rite of passage.
The Sequester Ruined Our Eighth-Grade Trip to Washington, D.C.|David Freedlander|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In his hardscrabble campaign, there might not even have been a podium ready to welcome him.
What Newt Gingrich Can Do for Mitt Romney|Matt Latimer|August 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The village of Podunk looks down on the neighboring town of Hardscrabble.
The Galaxy|Various
Mr. and Mrs. Ronayne and the Doctor rode out soon after dinner, sir, in the direction of Hardscrabble.
Wau-nan-gee or the Massacre at Chicago|Major John Richardson
“We need not be afraid of Hardscrabble winds any more, papa,” said David.
The Inglises|Margaret Murray Robertson
Mr. Hardscrabble, however, suggests that such stories are extremely common.
An Outcast|F. Colburn Adams
I've only one thing to ask about that: please don't have the name put as either 'Hardscrabble' or 'Spite House.'
Reels and Spindles|Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for hardscrabble

hardscrabble

/ (ˈhɑːdˌskræbəl) /

noun US informal

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

great effort made in the face of difficulties

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hardscrabble

hardscrabble

adj.

1804, U.S. colloquial, the name of an imaginary barren place "where a livelihood may be obtained only under great hardship and difficulty;" from hard + scrabble. First recorded in journals of Lewis and Clark. Perhaps the original notion is "vigorous effort made under great stress," though this sense is recorded slightly later (1812).