Meaning of hardscrabble in English

1. Pronunciation

   /ˈhɑrdˌskræb(ə)l/

   US accent

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   UK accent

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1. Classifying Adjective

   hardscrabble

   Definitions

   1. yielding little by great labor

   Examples

   • « a hardscrabble farm »
   • « poor soil »

   Synonyms

   • unfruitful
2. 2. of a bare living gained by great labor

   Examples

   • « the sharecropper's hardscrabble life »
   • « a marginal existence »

   Synonyms

   • meager
   • meagre
   • meagerly