hard core

¹ American  

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.

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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

Etymology

Origin of hard core¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Origin of hard-core¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

But they were being advanced by an infuriated and highly unrepresentative hard core.

From New York Times

When protected by the secret ballot, the hard core was going a little soft.

From Washington Post

You have to take a hard core stance between what you can and cannot do so that you are okay.

From Seattle Times

Brian Hughes breaks radicalization down into three stages: the people “circling the drain” and just considering extremist ideas; the “hard core” like those who stormed the U.S.

From Seattle Times

"I don’t like the real twangy, hard core, straight ahead old style country music. I like some of it, but on a steady diet, no."

From Fox News

Related Words

• devoted
• die-hard
• staunch