hard core

¹

noun

1. the permanent, dedicated, and completely faithful nucleus of a group or movement, as of a political party.

2. an unyielding or intransigent element in a social or organizational structure, as that part of a group consisting of longtime adherents or those resistant to change.

3. those whose condition seems to be without hope of remedy or change.

4. Usually hardcore a form of punk rock or other nonmainstream popular music played in an intense, harsh, and fast style with more emphasis on rhythm than on melody.

hard-core

²

Or hard·core

[hahrd-kawr, -kohr]

adjective

1. unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated.

   a hard-core segregationist.

2. relating to or containing sexually arousing depictions that are very graphic or explicit.

   hard-core pornography.

3. being so without apparent change or remedy; chronic.

   hard-core inflation; hard-core unemployment.

4. very intense or extreme.

   hard-core workouts at the gym.

5. Usually hardcore noting or relating to the music genre hardcore, or the subculture, clothing style, etc., associated with it.

   hardcore t-shirts and jeans.

6. noting or relating to video games that can only be mastered with advanced skill and are played in longer sessions, or noting a player of such games.

   hard-core gaming.

hard core

noun

1. the members of a group or movement who form an intransigent nucleus resisting change

2. material, such as broken bricks, stones, etc, used to form a foundation for a road, paving, building, etc

adjective

1. (of pornography) describing or depicting sexual acts in explicit detail

2. extremely committed or fanatical

   a hard-core Communist

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard core¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Origin of hard core²

First recorded in 1950–55

Related Words

• devoted 
• die-hard 
• staunch