hardy

1
[ hahr-dee ]
See synonyms for hardy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,har·di·er, har·di·est.
  1. capable of enduring fatigue, hardship, exposure, etc.; sturdy; strong: hardy explorers of northern Canada.

  2. (of plants) able to withstand the cold of winter in the open air.

  1. requiring great physical courage, vigor, or endurance: the hardiest sports.

  2. bold or daring; courageous: hardy soldiers.

  3. unduly bold; presumptuous; foolhardy.

Origin of hardy

1
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

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Other definitions for hardy (2 of 3)

hardy2
[ hahr-dee ]

noun,plural har·dies.
  1. a chisel or fuller with a square shank for insertion into a square hole (hardy hole ) in a blacksmith's anvil.

Origin of hardy

2
First recorded in 1865–70; hard + -y2

Other definitions for Hardy (3 of 3)

Hardy
[ hahr-dee ]

noun
  1. Godfrey Harold, 1877–1947, English mathematician.

  2. Oliver, 1892–1957, U.S. motion-picture comedian.

  1. Thomas, 1840–1928, English novelist and poet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hardy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hardy (1 of 3)

hardy1

/ (ˈhɑːdɪ) /


adjective-dier or -diest
  1. having or demanding a tough constitution; robust

  2. bold; courageous

  1. foolhardy; rash

  2. (of plants) able to live out of doors throughout the winter

Origin of hardy

1
C13: from Old French hardi bold, past participle of hardir to become bold, of Germanic origin; compare Old English hierdan to harden 1, Old Norse hertha, Old High German herten

British Dictionary definitions for hardy (2 of 3)

hardy2

/ (ˈhɑːdɪ) /


nounplural -dies
  1. any blacksmith's tool made with a square shank so that it can be lodged in a square hole in an anvil

Origin of hardy

2
C19: probably from hard

British Dictionary definitions for Hardy (3 of 3)

Hardy

/ (ˈhɑːdɪ) /


noun
  1. Oliver. See Laurel and Hardy

  2. 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

  1. Sir Thomas Masterman. 1769–1839, British naval officer, flag captain under Nelson (1799–1805): 1st Sea Lord (1830)

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