: profoundly stricken : affected in an especially negative way
one of the industries particularly hard-hit during the downturn

Examples of hard-hit 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.
Long Bright River tells the story of Mickey (Seyfried), a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025 Ohio has been particularly hard-hit, with 51 commercial flocks affected in the past 30 days. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 Feb. 2025 The hostages and prisoners released The three hostages had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community that was hard-hit in the Oct. 7 attack. Jalal Bwaitel, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025 Analysts’ data shows that fields related to cancer and medicine are particularly hard-hit, while areas such as philosophy and art are less affected. Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard-hit

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-hit was in 1826

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hard-hit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-hit. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!