hard-won

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It gives wrong answers with great confidence, and can’t draw on the human factors—judgment calls, unwritten rules and hard-won instincts—that never make it into training data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Which manager would risk a hard-won reputation on working in the volatile, shambolic environment that currently characterises Chelsea?

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

A push to end child marriage globally is slowing, with political, social and economic instability threatening hard-won gains for young women over the past three decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Issa, who teaches Kurdish, said he feared they would lose their autonomous administration's hard-won gains.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

When Caesar had approached her, she envisioned two outcomes: a contented, hard-won life in a northern city, or death.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead