adj.
Pronunciation: ' härd- ˌ skra-b ə l
Function: adjective
Date: 1804
1 a : being or relating to a place of barren or barely arable soil <a hardscrabble farm> < hardscrabble prairies> b : getting a meager living from poor soil <a hardscrabble farmer>
2 : marked by poverty <a hardscrabble cotton town> <a hardscrabble childhood>