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Synonyms

hard stuff

American  

noun

Slang.
  1. strongly addictive drugs.

  2. liquor with a high alcoholic content; hard liquor.


Etymology

Origin of hard stuff

First recorded in 1950–55


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.

See Examples For:

Jazz music is an expression and understanding of how hard stuff can be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

"It is horrible. It teaches you a lot about yourself and how to overcome hard stuff, and definitely teaches you a lot of resilience."

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

This leaves me optimistic... it shows us that we can still do this stuff, the really hard stuff.

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026

Most of all, they needed to understand why we do all this hard stuff, and how to get through it — so I put together “My Mother’s Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2025

I need the hard stuff, like Jacques Torres or one of those giant double-chocolate-chip Levain Bakery cookies.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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