: gained by great effort

Examples of hard-won in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After the initial months of Russia's full-scale invasion and Ukraine's fall 2022 counteroffensive, the frontline in the east of Ukraine became relatively static, Russia's gains hard-won with very high casualty counts. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 That progress has been hard-won and should be celebrated. Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2025 In the series’ ending, Ae-sun and Geum-myeong’s professional successes are positioned as examples of social progress that was hard-won across generations. Kayti Burt, Time, 28 Mar. 2025 The friendship is hard-won, over years of Yuval showing up and Basel welcoming him. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025 Trust is often hard-won and takes time and effort to build. Jake Webster, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 For us fathers, respect is hard-won—and often short-lived. Akash Kapur, Travel + Leisure, 24 Feb. 2025 The Trunk is a more complex slow-burn compared to the traditional K-drama, trading the surety of a confident love story for something quieter and more hard-won. Kayti Burt, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025 Instead of making cuts, the team added scenes of Jeep vehicles on the road and even a few with soldiers to underscore how freedom has been hard-won. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-won was in 1586

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Cite this Entry

“Hard-won.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-won. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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