hard-knock

[ hahrd-nok ]

adjective

1. full of, familiar with, or arising from the experience of hardship and struggle:

   Life in this hard-knock town can be brutal.

   If I learned one thing from my hard-knock mother, it was that the show must always go on.

Example Sentences

Dove’s ad begins seemingly whimsically showing young girls having mishaps playing sports to the tune of “It’s the Hard Knock Life.”

From Seattle Times

Big Pun graduated from bodyguard to respected emcee when he came out with "Capital Punishment" and Jay-Z shook up the industry with "Vol. 2 . . . Hard Knock Life."

From Salon

Jay-Z came to the Paradox in my hometown of Baltimore back in 1998 to perform songs from his hit album "Hard Knock Life."

From Salon

Anya knew for sure the water would hit him hard, knock him down, make it possible for them to escape.

From Literature

Wong’s quietly seething performance as Amy — complete with a rictus grin and an armor-like wardrobe of shapeless neutrals — marks a departure for her, a comedian known for bawdy stand-up specials including “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife” and the breezy rom-com “Always Be My Maybe.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adversity
• grief
• heartache
• misery
• misfortune
• woe