HARD UP Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

hard up

adjective

Definition of hard up

as in poor

lacking money or material possessions despite being undeniably hard up, they had too much pride to accept charity

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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.

Recent Examples of hard up The surge of federal immigration agents in Minnesota over the past few months left many people not only traumatized but financially hard up. — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026 The game warden who conducted my background check confided that the state is so hard up for hunte-ed instructors that hunting experience is no longer a requirement for teaching the class. — The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025 Starring Jocelin Donahue as a college student hard up for cash who takes on a suspicious babysitting gig, The House of the Devil is a Ti West masterpiece. — Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025 This letter descended to Charles Austen and thence to his granddaughters, who, hard up, sold it in the 1920s, part of a larger cache of relics and manuscripts. — Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard up

Adjective

On the other lies a park in one of the Bronx’s poorest communities, built on the site of the former Yankee Stadium after the old home of the Yankees was torn down in 2009 and 2010.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Iran’s economy was in a dire state before the war too, with poor economic conditions a key driving factor behind the anti-regime demonstrations which kicked off in the Iranian capital city Tehran in 2025.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

The destination, made up of the wealthy Hightown and the impoverished Lowtown, is often linked to Wolverine, due to his exploits in the area.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
More recently, a rolling cast of content creators has taken to making day trips to Blackpool’s roughest wards to capitalize on the environs of its impoverished communities.

— George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of impoverished

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hardtops

hard up

hardware

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“Hard up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20up. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of hard up

adjective

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