the permanent, dedicated, and completely faithful nucleus of a group or movement, as of a political party.
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.
those whose condition seems to be without hope of remedy or change.
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.
unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated.
a hard-core segregationist.
relating to or containing sexually arousing depictions that are very graphic or explicit.
hard-core pornography.
being so without apparent change or remedy; chronic.
hard-core inflation; hard-core unemployment.
very intense or extreme.
hard-core workouts at the gym.
Usually hardcore noting or relating to the music genre hardcore, or the subculture, clothing style, etc., associated with it.
hardcore t-shirts and jeans.
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.
the members of a group or movement who form an intransigent nucleus resisting change
material, such as broken bricks, stones, etc, used to form a foundation for a road, paving, building, etc
(of pornography) describing or depicting sexual acts in explicit detail
extremely committed or fanatical
a hard-core Communist
First recorded in 1935–40
First recorded in 1950–55
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Back in the old days, shoppers would find coupons in their Sunday newspaper, and hard core couponers would buy several papers to maximize value.
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2025
It needed to be "absolutely hard core" about cost reduction, he wrote in a memo first reported by The Information.
From BBC ● May 1, 2024
“It was just a waste of time, because you were never going to persuade the hard core to change their position.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
“There is a hard core of voters on both sides who think this is great.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
The Hispanic Center catering job is hard core.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
The most hard-core committed football fan who has no other commitments in life - or at least a very understanding family - could go for the full American.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Too many lines of code to analyze, armies of AI assistants to wrangle, and lengthy prompts to draft are among the laments by hard-core AI adopters.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
At the initial stages only hard-core opponents of the regime take to the streets and face the consequences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
It’s easy to be cynical about hard-core fandom, especially the more parasocial folds.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025
I’m battling my lungs for my next breath, hard-core.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
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.
