Hard Definition & Meaning

American

British

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Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms hard American [hahrd] / hɑrd /

adjective

harder, hardest

1. not soft; solid and firm to the touch; unyielding to pressure and impenetrable or almost impenetrable.

   Synonyms: flinty, adamantine, firm, compact, compressed, rigid, inflexible Antonyms: soft

2. firmly formed; tight.

   a hard knot.

3. difficult to do or accomplish; fatiguing; troublesome.

   a hard task.

   Synonyms: exhausting, wearisome, onerous, toilsome Antonyms: easy, easy

4. difficult or troublesome with respect to an action, situation, person, etc..

   hard to please;

   a hard time.

   Antonyms: easy, easy

5. difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand.

   a hard problem.

   Synonyms: tough, knotty, intricate, puzzling, complicated, complex Antonyms: easy, easy

6. involving a great deal of effort, energy, or persistence.

   hard labor;

   hard study.

   Synonyms: laborious, difficult, arduous Antonyms: easy, easy

7. performing or carrying on work with great effort, energy, or persistence.

   a hard worker.

8. vigorous or violent in force; severe.

   a hard rain;

   a hard fall.

   Synonyms: tempestuous, stormy

9. bad; unendurable; unbearable.

   hard luck.

10. oppressive; harsh; rough.

    hard treatment.

    Synonyms: unsparing, merciless, cruel, rigorous, severe

11. austere; severe.

    a hard winter;

    the hard times of the Great Depression.

12. harsh or severe in dealing with others.

    a hard master.

    Synonyms: exacting, strict, austere, stern, unpitying, unyielding, adamant, obdurate, relentless

13. difficult to explain away; undeniable.

    hard facts.

    Synonyms: incontrovertible

14. that can be verified; factual, as distinguished from speculation or hearsay.

    hard information.

15. harsh or unfriendly; resentful; severe; bitter.

    hard feelings;

    hard words.

16. of stern judgment or close examination; searching.

    a hard look.

17. lacking delicacy or softness; not blurred or diffused; clear and distinct; sharp; harsh.

    a hard line;

    a hard, bright light;

    hard features;

    a hard face.

18. (of a photograph) contrasty.

19. severe or rigorous in terms.

    a hard bargain.

20. sternly realistic; dispassionate; unsentimental.

    a hard, practical man;

    a hard view of life.

21. incorrigible; disreputable; tough.

    a hard character.

22. Scot. and North England. stingy; mean.

    hard with money.

23. in coins or paper money as distinguished from checks, securities, promissory notes, or other negotiable instruments).

24. (of paper money or a monetary system) supported by sufficient gold reserves and easily convertible into the currency of a foreign nation.

25. (of money) scarce or available at high interest rates.

    a hard loan.

26. denoting assets with intrinsic value, as gold, silver, or diamonds.

27. (of alcoholic beverages)

    1. containing more than 22.5 percent alcohol by volume, as whiskey and brandy as opposed to beer and wine.

    2. strong because of fermentation; intoxicating.

       hard cider.

28. (of wine) tasting excessively of tannin.

29. (of an illicit narcotic or drug) known to be physically addictive, as opium, morphine, or cocaine.

30. (of water) containing mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.

31. (of bread and baked goods)

    1. having a firm, crisp crust or texture.

       hard rolls.

    2. stale or tough.

32. (of a fabric) having relatively little nap; smooth.

    Silk is a harder fabric than wool or cotton.

33. (of the landing of a rocket or space vehicle) executed without decelerating.

    a hard landing on the moon.

34. (of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.

35. (of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.

36. Military. being underground and strongly protected from nuclear bombardment.

37. Agriculture. noting wheats with high gluten content, milled for a bread flour as contrasted with pastry flour.

38. Phonetics.

    1. fortis.

    2. (of c andg ) pronounced as (k) in come and (g) in go, rather than as in cent, cello, suspicion, gem, or beige.

    3. (of consonants in Slavic languages) not palatalized.

39. (in the making of rope) noting a lay having a considerable angle to the axis of the rope; short.

40. Physics. (of a beam of particles or photons) having relatively high energy.

    hard x-rays.

41. (of the penis) erect.

adverb

harder, hardest

1. with great exertion; with vigor or violence; strenuously.

   to work hard;

   to try hard;

   to fight back hard.

2. earnestly, intently, or critically.

   to look hard at a thing.

3. harshly or severely.

4. so as to be solid, tight, or firm.

   frozen hard.

5. with strong force or impact.

   She tripped and came down hard on her back.

6. in a deeply affected manner; with genuine sorrow or remorse.

   She took it very hard when they told her of his death.

7. closely; immediately.

   Failure and defeat seemed hard at hand.

   The decision to ban students from the concerts followed hard on the heels of the riot.

8. to an unreasonable or extreme degree; excessively; immoderately.

   He's hitting the bottle pretty hard.

9. Nautical. closely, fully, or to the extreme limit.

   hard aport;

   hard alee.

noun

1. Nautical. a firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.

2. British.

   1. a firm or solid beach or foreshore.

   2. a firm landing, jetty, or road across or adjoining the foreshore.

3. British Slang. hard labor.

idioms

1. hard up,

   1. urgently in need of money.

   2. feeling a lack or need.

      The country is hard up for technicians and doctors.

2. be hard on, to deal harshly with; be stern.

   You are being too hard on him.

3. hard by, in close proximity to; near.

   The house is hard by the river.

4. hard put, in great perplexity or difficulty; at a loss.

   We were hard put to finish the examination in one hour.

5. hard of hearing. hard of hearing.

hard British / hɑːd /

adjective

1. firm or rigid; not easily dented, crushed, or pierced

2. toughened by or as if by physical labour; not soft or smooth

   hard hands

3. difficult to do or accomplish; arduous

   a hard task

4. difficult to understand or perceive

   a hard question

5. showing or requiring considerable physical or mental energy, effort, or application

   hard work

   a hard drinker

6. stern, cold, or intractable

   a hard judge

7. exacting; demanding

   a hard master

8. harsh; cruel

   a hard fate

9. inflicting pain, sorrow, distress, or hardship

   hard times

10. tough or adamant

    a hard man

11. forceful or violent

    a hard knock

12. cool or uncompromising

    we took a long hard look at our profit factor

13. indisputable; real

    hard facts

14. chem (of water) impairing the formation of a lather by soap See hardness

15. practical, shrewd, or calculating

    he is a hard man in business

16. too harsh to be pleasant

    hard light

17. 1. (of cash, money, etc) in coin and paper rather than cheques

    2. (of currency) in strong demand, esp as a result of a good balance of payments situation

    3. (of credit) difficult to obtain; tight

18. (of alcoholic drink) being a spirit rather than a wine, beer, etc

    the hard stuff

19. (of a drug such as heroin, morphine, or cocaine) highly addictive Compare soft

20. physics (of radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays) having high energy and the ability to penetrate solids

21. physics (of a vacuum) almost complete

22. (of goods) durable

23. short for hard-core See hard core hard core

24. (of news coverage) concentrating on serious stories

25. phonetics

    1. an older word for fortis

    2. (not in modern technical usage) denoting the consonants c and g in English when they are pronounced as velar stops (k, g)

    3. (of consonants in the Slavonic languages) not palatalized

26. 1. being heavily fortified and protected

    2. (of nuclear missiles) located underground in massively reinforced silos

27. politically extreme

    the hard left

28. informal incorrigible or disreputable (esp in the phrase a hard case )

29. (of bread, etc) stale and old

30. 1. a person not easily persuaded or won over

    2. a thing not easily understood

31. near; close by

32. a tough worker at anything

33. unfairly or badly treated

34. informal

    1. in need of money; poor

    2. (foll by for) in great need (of)

       hard up for suggestions

35. informal to ask or demand something from

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

1. with great energy, force, or vigour

   the team always played hard

2. as far as possible; all the way

   hard left

3. with application; earnestly or intently

   she thought hard about the formula

4. with great intensity, force, or violence

   his son's death hit him hard

5. close; near

   hard on his heels

6. (foll by at) assiduously; devotedly

7. 1. with effort or difficulty

      their victory was hard won

   2. ( in combination )

      hard-earned

8. slowly and reluctantly

   prejudice dies hard

9. to cause pain or difficulty to (someone)

   it will go hard with you if you don't tell the truth

10. working hard

11. scarcely having the capacity (to do something)

    he's hard put to get to work by 9:30

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. any colorant that produces a harsh coarse appearance

2. a roadway across a foreshore

3. slang hard labour

4. slang an erection of the penis (esp in the phrase get or have a hard on )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 hard More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing hard

• between a rock and a hard place
• cold (hard) cash
• come down (hard) on
• die hard
• drive a (hard) bargain
• go hard with
• no hard feelings
• play hard to get
• play hardball
• school of hard knocks
• tough (hard) row to hoe

Related Words

See firm 1. Hard, difficult both describe something resistant to one's efforts or one's endurance. Hard is the general word: hard times; It was hard to endure the severe weather. Difficult means not easy, and particularly denotes that which requires special effort or skill: a difficult task. Hard, callous, unfeeling, unsympathetic imply a lack of interest in, feeling for, or sympathy with others. Hard implies insensibility, either natural or acquired, so that the plight of others makes no impression on one: a hard taskmaster. Callous may mean the same or that one is insensitive to being hurt as the result of continued repression and indifference: a callous answer; callous to criticism. Unfeeling implies natural inability to feel with and for others: an unfeeling and thoughtless remark. Unsympathetic implies an indifference that precludes pity, compassion, or the like: unsympathetic toward distress.

Other Word Forms

• half-hard adjective
• overhard adjective
• overhardness noun
• semihard adjective
• semihardness noun

Etymology

Origin of hard

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English heard; cognate with Dutch hard, German hart, Old Norse harthr, Gothic hardus; akin to Homeric Greek kratýs “strong” and classical Greek krátos “strength” ( -cracy ), from the Proto-Indo-European root kar-, ker- “hard”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While the firm can limit withdrawals, investor unease makes fundraising harder, affecting its stock price.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s partly because heat pumps work by extracting heat from outdoor air, compressing it and piping it indoors, a thermal magic trick that’s harder to perform in places with subzero winters.

From Los Angeles Times

Goals, assists and consistent performances throughout the season, I think you would been hard pressed to find somebody who has delivered as much as Harry, I really do.

From BBC

"It's a very hard decision because the foul started outside the box and usually the foul has to be given where it starts," he said.

From BBC

But remote works makes it hard to know anybody well enough.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arduous
• complicated
• heavy
• rough
• serious
• terrible
• tough
• troublesome

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.