From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhard-wonˌhard-ˈwon adjective achieved only after a lot of effort and difficulty her hard-won independence
Examples from the Corpus
hard-won• But this lack of censorship, self or otherwise, should be celebrated for the hard-won battle that it is.• Their hard-won brand equity was swept away by the power of the marketplace transactions.• It harasses other gulls until they drop their hard-won food and then swoops down to catch it - often in mid-air.• This strong attachment to a hard-won freedom can neither be denigrated, nor eradicated from consciousness.• For me this was a hard-won lesson, based on my own failings in this direction.• It involves wondering how to use hard-won resources to achieve something meaningful.• I am proud of the invitation and the hard-won respect that underlies it.• A bit of a bombshell, Vi distracts Betty's hard-won suitor Hugh, touching off a set of sibling sparring. 