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• hard core
  hard core

  noun

  the permanent, dedicated, and completely faithful nucleus of a group or movement, as of a political party.
• hard-core
  hard-core

  adjective

  unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated.

hard core

¹ American  

noun

• hard cores
  plural

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.

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hard-core ² American  

[hahrd-kawr, -kohr] / ˈhɑrdˈkɔr, -ˈkoʊr /

Or hardcore

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.

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hard core British  

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

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adjective

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

2. extremely committed or fanatical

   a hard-core Communist

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hard cores
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hard core¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Origin of hard-core²

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard core hard-core

Many inside the movement said it should be less confrontational and disruptive but a hard core of activists argued it would be more effective to double down on direct action.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025

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

“The other guy with him was kind of hard core and didn’t seem serious” about changing his ways, Boyle recalled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

“Those who are able to go hard core and play to win, Twitter is a good place,” he said.

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2022

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

There was no doubt that the hard-core troublemakers were increasing their activities, and without the men of the 101st, they increased a hundredfold.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• devoted
• die-hard
• staunch