hard-shell

[ hahrd-shel ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌʃɛl /

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adjective

Also hard-shelled . having a firm, hard shell, as a crab in its normal state; not having recently molted.

rigid or uncompromising.

noun

hard-shell crab.

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Origin of hard-shell

First recorded in 1790–1800

Words nearby hard-shell

hardscape, hard science, hardscrabble, hard sell, hard-set, hard-shell, hard-shell clam, hard-shell crab, hardship, hard shoulder, hard sign

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hard-shell in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But so-called jungle primaries are notoriously hard to predict or poll.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
My body used for his hard pleasure; a stone god gripping me in his hands.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
All of my stories are about people trying hard not to grow up.
Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

We also have a growing body of biological research showing that fathers, like mothers, are hard-wired to care for children.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He thought they were now in touch with our troops at "X" but that they had been through some hard fighting to get there.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
However this be, it is hard to say that these fibs have that clear intention to deceive which constitutes a complete lie.
Children's Ways|James Sully
And it would be hard indeed, if so remote a prince's notions of virtue and vice were to be offered as a standard for all mankind.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Even if poverty were gone, the flail could still beat hard enough upon the grain and chaff of humanity.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
"I congratulate you on your engagement," he said at last, looking up with a face that seemed to Bernard hard and unnatural.
Confidence|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for hard-shell

hard-shell

adjective also: hard-shelled

zoology having a shell or carapace that is thick, heavy, or hard

US strictly orthodox

noun

another name for the quahog

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hard-shell

Origin of hard-shell

Words nearby hard-shell

Words related to hard-shell

How to use hard-shell in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hard-shell