Hard-won

//hɑːd ˈwʌn// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having been obtained with effort, despite difficulty and hardship.

    "The Earle of London yéeldes his Charge and Cittie to the Foe, / Through which diſloyall preſedent did other Citties ſoe: / And then with hard-won Tribute hence the Conquerour did goe."

Synonyms

All synonyms
hard-earned

Example

More examples

"In 203 he was proconsul in Upper Italy, where, in conjunction with the praetor P. Quintilius Varus, he gained a hard-won victory over Mago, Hannibal’s brother, in Insubrian territory, and obliged him to leave Italy."

Etymology

From hard (“with difficulty; with much effort”, adverb) + won (“obtained”, verb).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.