-ard

1. a suffix forming nouns that denote persons who regularly engage in an activity, or who are characterized in a certain way, as indicated by the stem; now usually pejorative:

   coward; dullard; drunkard; wizard.

-ard

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating a person who does something, esp to excess, or is characterized by a certain quality

   braggart

   drunkard

   dullard

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ard¹

Middle English < Old French, probably extracted from Frankish compound personal names; compare Old High German Adalhart ( French Alard ), Bernhart ( French Bernard ), with 2nd element -hart literally, strong, hardy, hard (cognate with Old English -heard in names), often merely as intensifier of quality denoted in 1st element.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -ard¹

via Old French from Germanic -hard (literally: hardy, bold), the final element in many Germanic masculine names, such as Bernhard Bernard, Gerhart Gerard, etc

Example Sentences

Mr Adams said it had not been a unanimous Ard Comhairle decision but there had been a healthy majority.

From The Daily Beast

"I've spent time building bridges to all factions in that debate, trying to work tow ard compromise," he said.

From The Daily Beast

Lean up agin the doors o' public-'ouses, I do, and work 'ard at it!

From Project Gutenberg

Let the Old Man see ye up for'ard monkeyshinin' with the hands and ye'll get a hidin' ye'll not forget in a hurry.

From Project Gutenberg

The coastguards had hoisted the one point downwards, indicating a gale from the south'ard.

From Project Gutenberg

Now, in the ol' days, I've seen a dozen whales to wind'ard an' we couldn't get to 'em at all.

From Project Gutenberg

I was a power in th' wa-ard in thim days, an' feared no man alive.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -ard

What does -ard mean?

The combining form -ard is a suffix denoting “someone who engages often in an activity,” and it is frequently pejorative. It is often used in everyday terms.

The form -ard comes from German -hard, meaning “strong; hardy; hard,” which is a cognate of English hard.

What are variants of -ard?

In some rare instances, the form -ard becomes -art, as in braggart. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about -art.

Examples of -ard

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -ard is drunkard, “a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.”

The drunk- part of the word means “intoxicated.” The suffix -ard, as we have seen, is a suffix that means “someone who engages often in an activity,” often in a pejorative sense. Drunkard literally translates to “someone who is often intoxicated.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form -ard in Middle English or Old French?

• coward
• dullard
• mallard
• standard
• wizard

What are some other forms that -ard may be commonly confused with?

• -arch
• -archy
• -ary

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -ard, such as forward or board, is necessarily using the combining form -ard to denote “someone who engages often in an activity.” Learn why forward means “onward” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The word dull has a variety of meanings, including “not bright” or “boring.” With this in mind, along with the meaning of -ard, what does dullard literally mean?