idiom

School of Hard Knocks

skool of HARD noks

/skuːl əv hɑːrd nɒks/

Listen

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Syllable breakdown

skoolofHARDnoks

Dictionary meaning

Life experience gained through difficult situations, hardship, and failures rather than formal education; the lessons one learns by struggling through adversity.

Examples

He never went to college but graduated from the school of hard knocks.
The school of hard knocks taught her lessons no classroom ever could.

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