hardness
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being hard.
the hardness of ice.
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a relative degree or extent of this quality.
wood of a desirable hardness.
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that quality in water that is imparted by the presence of dissolved salts, especially calcium sulfate or bicarbonate.
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unfeelingness or jadedness; callousness.
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harshness or austerity, as of a difficult existence.
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South Midland U.S. ill will; bad feelings.
There's a lot of hardness between those two boys.
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Mineralogy. the comparative ability of a substance to scratch or be scratched by another.
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Metallurgy. the measured resistance of a metal to indention, abrasion, deformation, or machining.
noun
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the quality or condition of being hard
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one of several measures of resistance to indentation, deformation, or abrasion See Mohs scale Brinell hardness number
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the quality of water that causes it to impair the lathering of soap: caused by the presence of certain calcium salts. Temporary hardness can be removed by boiling whereas permanent hardness cannot
Etymology
Origin of hardness
First recorded before 900; Middle English hardnes, Old English heardnes; see hard, -ness
Vocabulary lists containing hardness
Earth Science - Middle School
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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Rocks and Minerals - Introductory
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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.
It is a pas de deux of contrasts—roughness and polish, hardness and softness, danger and safety.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
The experiments showed that this additive manufacturing strategy can preserve the hardness and mechanical strength typically achieved through conventional manufacturing methods.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
Without the energy of talismanic all-rounder Stokes, England were bereft of penetration when the ball lost its hardness and pitch went to sleep.
From BBC • Jul. 26, 2025
“There’s a toughness and a hardness that’s developing within this program right now,” Riley said.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2024
But then, the flicker is snuffed out, and in its place, hardness, and so Helmuth says, "I will go far. Just you wait and see. Some day you will hear something great about me."
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
