dearly-won
Definition
- Adjective:
- Achieved or obtained at a very high cost or through significant sacrifice: Describes something, typically a victory, success, or possession, that was gained only after enduring great difficulty, loss, or effort.
Usage
- This adjective is typically used attributively (before a noun) to modify and emphasize the costly nature of an achievement.
- It is most commonly paired with words like "victory," "freedom," "peace," or "independence."
Examples
- Adjective:
- The soldiers celebrated their dearly-won victory, knowing the heavy price paid by their fallen comrades.
- After years of struggle, the activists finally achieved their dearly-won freedom.
- We must protect this dearly-won peace for future generations.
Advanced Usage
- "dearly-won" vs. "hard-won": While both imply difficulty, "dearly-won" specifically emphasizes a high cost in terms of sacrifice, loss, or suffering, not just effort. "Hard-won" focuses more on the strenuous effort required.
- A dearly-won victory (implies many lives were lost).
- A hard-won victory (implies it required a long, tough battle).
Variants and Related Words
- Hard-won (adj): Achieved with great effort or difficulty.
- Their hard-won success was the result of a decade of research.
- Costly (adj): Involving great expense or sacrifice.
- The war was a costly endeavor for both nations.
Synonyms
- Hard-earned: Gained through a lot of effort or work.
- Pyrrhic: (Especially of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor.
Antonyms
- Effortless: Requiring no physical or mental exertion.
- Cheaply-won: Gained with little cost or effort (less common, but used for contrast).
Adjective
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entailing great loss or sacrifice
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a dearly-won victory
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