hard
Americanadjective
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harder,
comparative
-
hardest
superlative
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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
-
firmly formed; tight.
a hard knot.
-
difficult to do or accomplish; fatiguing; troublesome.
a hard task.
- Synonyms:
- exhausting, wearisome, onerous, toilsome
- Antonyms:
- easy
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difficult or troublesome with respect to an action, situation, person, etc..
hard to please;
a hard time.
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand.
a hard problem.
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
involving a great deal of effort, energy, or persistence.
hard labor;
hard study.
- Antonyms:
- easy
-
performing or carrying on work with great effort, energy, or persistence.
a hard worker.
-
vigorous or violent in force; severe.
a hard rain;
a hard fall.
- Synonyms:
- tempestuous, stormy
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bad; unendurable; unbearable.
hard luck.
-
oppressive; harsh; rough.
hard treatment.
-
austere; severe.
a hard winter;
the hard times of the Great Depression.
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harsh or severe in dealing with others.
a hard master.
- Synonyms:
- exacting, strict, austere, stern, unpitying, unyielding, adamant, obdurate, relentless
-
difficult to explain away; undeniable.
hard facts.
- Synonyms:
- incontrovertible
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that can be verified; factual, as distinguished from speculation or hearsay.
hard information.
-
harsh or unfriendly; resentful; severe; bitter.
hard feelings;
hard words.
-
of stern judgment or close examination; searching.
a hard look.
-
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.
-
(of a photograph) contrasty.
-
severe or rigorous in terms.
a hard bargain.
-
sternly realistic; dispassionate; unsentimental.
a hard, practical man;
a hard view of life.
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incorrigible; disreputable; tough.
a hard character.
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Scot. and North England. stingy; mean.
hard with money.
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in coins or paper money as distinguished from checks, securities, promissory notes, or other negotiable instruments).
-
(of paper money or a monetary system) supported by sufficient gold reserves and easily convertible into the currency of a foreign nation.
-
(of money) scarce or available at high interest rates.
a hard loan.
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denoting assets with intrinsic value, as gold, silver, or diamonds.
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(of alcoholic beverages)
-
containing more than 22.5 percent alcohol by volume, as whiskey and brandy as opposed to beer and wine.
-
strong because of fermentation; intoxicating.
hard cider.
-
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(of wine) tasting excessively of tannin.
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(of an illicit narcotic or drug) known to be physically addictive, as opium, morphine, or cocaine.
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(of water) containing mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.
-
(of bread and baked goods)
-
having a firm, crisp crust or texture.
hard rolls.
-
stale or tough.
-
-
(of a fabric) having relatively little nap; smooth.
Silk is a harder fabric than wool or cotton.
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(of the landing of a rocket or space vehicle) executed without decelerating.
a hard landing on the moon.
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(of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.
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(of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.
-
Military. being underground and strongly protected from nuclear bombardment.
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Agriculture. noting wheats with high gluten content, milled for a bread flour as contrasted with pastry flour.
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Phonetics.
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(of c andg ) pronounced as (k) in come and (g) in go, rather than as in cent, cello, suspicion, gem, or beige.
-
(of consonants in Slavic languages) not palatalized.
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(in the making of rope) noting a lay having a considerable angle to the axis of the rope; short.
-
Physics. (of a beam of particles or photons) having relatively high energy.
hard x-rays.
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(of the penis) erect.
adverb
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with great exertion; with vigor or violence; strenuously.
to work hard;
to try hard;
to fight back hard.
-
earnestly, intently, or critically.
to look hard at a thing.
-
harshly or severely.
-
so as to be solid, tight, or firm.
frozen hard.
-
with strong force or impact.
She tripped and came down hard on her back.
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in a deeply affected manner; with genuine sorrow or remorse.
She took it very hard when they told her of his death.
-
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.
-
to an unreasonable or extreme degree; excessively; immoderately.
He's hitting the bottle pretty hard.
-
Nautical. closely, fully, or to the extreme limit.
hard aport;
hard alee.
noun
-
Nautical. a firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
-
British.
-
a firm or solid beach or foreshore.
-
a firm landing, jetty, or road across or adjoining the foreshore.
-
-
British Slang. hard labor.
idioms
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hard up,
-
urgently in need of money.
-
feeling a lack or need.
The country is hard up for technicians and doctors.
-
-
be hard on, to deal harshly with; be stern.
You are being too hard on him.
-
hard by, in close proximity to; near.
The house is hard by the river.
-
hard put, in great perplexity or difficulty; at a loss.
We were hard put to finish the examination in one hour.
-
hard of hearing. see hard of hearing.
adjective
-
firm or rigid; not easily dented, crushed, or pierced
-
toughened by or as if by physical labour; not soft or smooth
hard hands
-
difficult to do or accomplish; arduous
a hard task
-
difficult to understand or perceive
a hard question
-
showing or requiring considerable physical or mental energy, effort, or application
hard work
a hard drinker
-
stern, cold, or intractable
a hard judge
-
exacting; demanding
a hard master
-
harsh; cruel
a hard fate
-
inflicting pain, sorrow, distress, or hardship
hard times
-
tough or adamant
a hard man
-
forceful or violent
a hard knock
-
cool or uncompromising
we took a long hard look at our profit factor
-
indisputable; real
hard facts
-
chem (of water) impairing the formation of a lather by soap See hardness
-
practical, shrewd, or calculating
he is a hard man in business
-
too harsh to be pleasant
hard light
-
-
(of cash, money, etc) in coin and paper rather than cheques
-
(of currency) in strong demand, esp as a result of a good balance of payments situation
-
(of credit) difficult to obtain; tight
-
-
(of alcoholic drink) being a spirit rather than a wine, beer, etc
the hard stuff
-
(of a drug such as heroin, morphine, or cocaine) highly addictive Compare soft
-
physics (of radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays) having high energy and the ability to penetrate solids
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physics (of a vacuum) almost complete
-
(of goods) durable
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(of news coverage) concentrating on serious stories
-
phonetics
-
an older word for fortis
-
(not in modern technical usage) denoting the consonants c and g in English when they are pronounced as velar stops (k, g)
-
(of consonants in the Slavonic languages) not palatalized
-
-
-
being heavily fortified and protected
-
(of nuclear missiles) located underground in massively reinforced silos
-
-
politically extreme
the hard left
-
informal incorrigible or disreputable (esp in the phrase a hard case )
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(of bread, etc) stale and old
-
-
a person not easily persuaded or won over
-
a thing not easily understood
-
-
near; close by
-
a tough worker at anything
-
unfairly or badly treated
-
informal
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in need of money; poor
-
(foll by for) in great need (of)
hard up for suggestions
-
-
informal to ask or demand something from
adverb
-
with great energy, force, or vigour
the team always played hard
-
as far as possible; all the way
hard left
-
with application; earnestly or intently
she thought hard about the formula
-
with great intensity, force, or violence
his son's death hit him hard
-
close; near
hard on his heels
-
(foll by at) assiduously; devotedly
-
-
with effort or difficulty
their victory was hard won
-
( in combination )
hard-earned
-
-
slowly and reluctantly
prejudice dies hard
-
to cause pain or difficulty to (someone)
it will go hard with you if you don't tell the truth
-
working hard
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scarcely having the capacity (to do something)
he's hard put to get to work by 9:30
noun
-
any colorant that produces a harsh coarse appearance
-
a roadway across a foreshore
-
slang hard labour
-
slang an erection of the penis (esp in the phrase get or have a hard on )
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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” ( see -cracy), from the Proto-Indo-European root kar-, ker- “hard”
Explanation
Hard is the opposite of "easy." If you're just beginning an exercise routine, don't push yourself too hard in the beginning, to avoid injury. Hard can mean "difficult," but it can also mean "rigid." A hard surface is one that doesn’t give way, like stone. If things are tough for you, you might tell someone you’re having a hard day. If someone gives you hard liquor, watch out — that’s the strong stuff. If you’re a teacher, you want to make your examinations hard enough to be challenging, but not impossible. If you’re stubborn, people might call you hardheaded.
Vocabulary lists containing hard
"Mother to Son"
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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.
See Examples For:
More firms are taking companies public, as sluggish dealmaking has made it hard to find buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The noise is especially hard on her husband, who frequently leaves for his job before 5 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
"It's really, really hard, and it's really sad to watch," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
I simply didn’t bike hard enough to “earn” the activity, and perhaps that’s a motivational tool for Garmin’s fitness-focused audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Sancho said they were prisoners on their way to do hard labor on the king's galley ships.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Achieving both at once has been much harder.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
It is said that defending a championship is harder than winning one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
There may also be "predisposing factors", such as trauma, issues from early childhood, or negative self-belief, that can make it harder to curb your use, she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Our first reaction was that the lack of a lopsided verdict meant that El-Sayed would have to work that much harder to bring the party together.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Well,” said Bat, closing the refrigerator door a little harder than he needed to, “now there is nothing to eat.”
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Earlier, he told an Edinburgh Fringe event that leading Scottish Labour was the hardest job in British politics and urged his potential successors to avoid infighting.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The tech sector has been hit hardest, accounting for more than 30% of all job losses in 2026 to date, the WSJ reports, citing data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The two reservoirs near the center of the image were among the areas hit hardest.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
India's northeastern state of Assam is among the hardest hit by the annual rains, with at least 87 people killed, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I won’t lie to you. That was the hardest part of this decision.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
