hardback

[ hahrd-bak ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌbæk /

Save This Word!

noun, adjective

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hardback

First recorded in 1740–50; hard + back¹

Words nearby hardback

hard-and-fast, hardanger, hard as nails, hard-ass, hard-asset, hardback, hardbake, hardball, hard bargain, hard-bill, hard-bitten

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

How to use hardback in a sentence

Emily Post may have written on etiquette a century ago, but her thoughts on grief ring as true on an iPad screen as they did then in a hardback book.
20th edition of Emily Post’s ‘Etiquette’ offers updated advice on pronouns and much more|Kathi Wolfe|October 13, 2022|Washington Blade
Still, as scientists continue to unwind life’s twisted tale, if we can reduce the cost of reading from hardback to paperback, all the better.
Ultima Genomics Claims the $100 Genome and Raises $600M to Go Even Lower|Jason Dorrier|June 5, 2022|Singularity Hub
Like its sticker sheet jacket and chrome hardback, Hello Future is a playful, reflective and sharply intelligent visual experience.
TIME's 20 Best Photobooks of 2021|TIME Photo Department|December 22, 2021|Time
The 8000 Series will resemble the 7000 Series’s mostly uniform silver color, with hardback blue seats and more spacious aisles.
Metro finalizes contract for new rail cars to be built in D.C. region|Justin George|March 18, 2021|Washington Post

Someone might pull your mouldering hardback from the bottom of the stack and point a neon sign at it.
Famous for Not Being Famous: Enough About ‘Stoner’|Drew Smith|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Harlequin hardback, out today, is appropriately dubbed: Sh*t Girls Say.
‘Shit Girls Say’: Kyle Humphrey and Graydon Sheppard Spin Book From Meme|Anna Klassen|September 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I started writing it a few years ago and it came out in hardback in 2009.
‘House’ Finale: Interview With Doctor Lisa Sanders|Noah Charney|May 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The fact that no paperback followed the hardback was a testament to the bad blood between Jackson and the publisher.
When Jackie Met Jacko|William Kuhn|December 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Oddly, the hardback edition of The Social Agent remains available now for immediate delivery via the Internet.
My Banned Book|Charles Laurence|February 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for hardback

hardback

/ (ˈhɑːdˌbæk) /

noun

a book or edition with covers of cloth, cardboard, or leatherCompare paperback

adjective

Also: casebound (ˈkeɪsˌbaʊnd), hardbound (ˈhɑːdˌbaʊnd), hardcover (ˈhɑːdˌkʌvə) of or denoting a hardback or the publication of hardbacks

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