capable of enduring fatigue, hardship, exposure, etc.; sturdy; strong.
hardy explorers of northern Canada.
(of plants) able to withstand the cold of winter in the open air.
requiring great physical courage, vigor, or endurance.
the hardiest sports.
bold or daring; courageous.
hardy soldiers.
unduly bold; presumptuous; foolhardy.
Godfrey Harold, 1877–1947, English mathematician.
Oliver, 1892–1957, U.S. motion-picture comedian.
Thomas, 1840–1928, English novelist and poet.
having or demanding a tough constitution; robust
bold; courageous
foolhardy; rash
(of plants) able to live out of doors throughout the winter
Oliver. See Laurel and Hardy
Thomas. 1840–1928, British novelist and poet. Most of his novels are set in his native Dorset (part of his fictional Wessex) and include Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895), after which his work consisted chiefly of verse
Sir Thomas Masterman. 1769–1839, British naval officer, flag captain under Nelson (1799–1805): 1st Sea Lord (1830)
1175–1225; Middle English hardi < Old French, past participle of *hardir to harden, make brave < Germanic; compare Gothic -hardjan, Old High German hartjan to harden
Hardy means tough––if you're hardy, you don't get tired easily and can endure hardship. People who don't catch cold often attribute this fact to their coming from hardy farming stock. Before 1200, hardy indicated boldness and daring in battle and was probably influenced by hard. Warriors are hardy: they’re brave and strong and don’t easily tire. Plants and animals can also be hardy if they can survive harsh weather or poor growing conditions. When planting a lawn, you should pick hardy species of grass, which will survive droughts and come back after long, cold winters.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Groups of all ages converged on the city centre to the sound of drums and guitars, with hardy pilgrims lugging rucksacks and camping material on their backs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
It is a small but hardy and nutritious wild potato that still grows across southwestern North America today, ranging from southern Utah and Colorado into northern Mexico.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 25, 2026
They look for hardy alder trees, which indicate an area that had been dug up for mining years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025
Their plans include bringing in large herbivores including ponies, hardy cattle and eventually even bison to graze the land naturally, and there are hopes pine martens, beavers and golden eagles could recolonise the landscape.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025
But life is hardy, and when the smoke cleared there were enough lucky survivors from every species that none permanently perished.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Unlike Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, or Hope and Crosby, who relied on tightly scripted setups, this disparate yet kindred duo captured America’s heart by being viscerally, uproariously and unpredictably wild.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
After sound came in, full-length feature comedies—by Laurel and Hardy, Mae West, W.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
According to Beresford Adam and Dafydd Hardy estate agents, Parc Delfryn is not the only development in the area that has struggled to sell houses that must only be used as second homes.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
As a method of coping and of shoring up the land, Ragusa enlisted a Sierra Madre company called Hardy Californians to plant a remediation seed mix across her lot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
They might not get a chance to show off their sword-fighting skills, but the Hardy Boys did have one other special talent—solving mysteries.
From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon
I asked Jennings to show me some of his favorite hardies.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 29, 2021
Softies and hardies have been fighting for as long as I can remember.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 4, 2013
Tulips bloom in February and March; Daffodils, German Iris, and other hardies from February to May; also Lilies-of-the-Valley, which latter are more scarce on account of the dryness of the atmosphere.
From Beautiful Gardens in America by Shelton, Louise
The Reed, Kachuck said, spoils quickly after being picked, but could be made hardier via genetic intervention, such as cross-breeding.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2025
These conditions led to slow-growing tall trees with deeper rooting systems able to access the water, making them hardier in the face of drought, Chen said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2024
At night, the carriers rested the Mazu statue in a temple, and hardier pilgrims slept in the temple or on the nearby streets. unrolling thin rubber mattresses.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2024
A splash of water, stock or wine helps wilt and soften everything, especially the hardier plants like collards and broccoli raab.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
There were miles of pastures and tens of miles of wasted, washed-out land abandoned to the hardier weeds.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
There will always be those hardiest of Caddyshack souls prepared to battle 40mph winds and driving rain, bunting their ball down muddy fairways and putting across soaked greens.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
Those who travel during the holidays are used to long trips, but only the hardiest would try a 1,900-mile van ride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2024
Only the hardiest surfers can truly spend all day in the water, so part of Westport’s appeal is its surf-town feel.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2023
Show me the hardiest, easiest-to-care-for plant in the world, and within three days, I'll show you a pile of dead leaves.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2023
But about the Gate resistance still was stout, and there the knights of Dol Amroth and the hardiest of the garrison stood at bay.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
