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Synonyms

hardness

American  
[hahrd-nis] / ˈhɑrd nɪs /

noun

  1. the state or quality of being hard.

    the hardness of ice.

  2. a relative degree or extent of this quality.

    wood of a desirable hardness.

  3. that quality in water that is imparted by the presence of dissolved salts, especially calcium sulfate or bicarbonate.

  4. unfeelingness or jadedness; callousness.

  5. harshness or austerity, as of a difficult existence.

  6. South Midland U.S. ill will; bad feelings.

    There's a lot of hardness between those two boys.

  7. Mineralogy. the comparative ability of a substance to scratch or be scratched by another.

  8. Metallurgy. the measured resistance of a metal to indention, abrasion, deformation, or machining.

hardness British  
/ ˈhɑːdnɪs /

noun

  1. the quality or condition of being hard

  2. one of several measures of resistance to indentation, deformation, or abrasion See Mohs scale Brinell hardness number

  3. the quality of water that causes it to impair the lathering of soap: caused by the presence of certain calcium salts. Temporary hardness can be removed by boiling whereas permanent hardness cannot

"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
hardness Scientific  
/ härd′nĭs /

  1. A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched. Hardness is measured on the Mohs scale.

Etymology

Origin of hardness

First recorded before 900; Middle English hardnes, Old English heardnes; hard, -ness

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.

WC-Co cemented carbides are essential for applications that demand strong resistance to wear and high hardness, including cutting and construction tools.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

USC coach Lincoln Riley said after the Trojans’ victory in the Las Vegas Bowl, “There’s a toughness and a hardness that’s developing within this program.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2025

The time groundstaff have between county games is not sufficient to prepare and roll a pitch to the hardness of an international surface.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2024

And the novelist Richard Ford once made it clear that questioning Ms. Munro’s mastery over the short story would be akin to doubting the hardness of a diamond or the bouquet of a ripened peach.

From New York Times • May 14, 2024

Observe the hardness, write it down in careful runes.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.