hardness

[ hahrd-nis ]

See synonyms for hardness on Thesaurus.com

noun

the state or quality of being hard: the hardness of ice.
a relative degree or extent of this quality: wood of a desirable hardness.

that quality in water that is imparted by the presence of dissolved salts, especially calcium sulfate or bicarbonate.
unfeelingness or jadedness; callousness.
harshness or austerity, as of a difficult existence.
South Midland U.S. ill will; bad feelings: There's a lot of hardness between those two boys.
Mineralogy. the comparative ability of a substance to scratch or be scratched by another.: Compare Mohs scale.
Metallurgy. the measured resistance of a metal to indention, abrasion, deformation, or machining.

Origin of hardness

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

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

How to use hardness in a sentence

She told it in her own way with characteristic blindnesses and hardnesses, but the truth of it was this.
The History of David Grieve | Mrs. Humphry Ward
She had small hardnesses and little vulgarities of manner that drove him mad.
Casa Braccio, Volumes 1 and 2 (of 2) | F. Marion Crawford
The prize (of long activity and sweet survival) is with those whose hardness is greater than other hardnesses.
The Letters of Henry James, Vol. II | Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for hardness

hardness

/ (ˈhɑːdnɪs) /

noun

the quality or condition of being hard
one of several measures of resistance to indentation, deformation, or abrasion: See Mohs scale, Brinell hardness number

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

Scientific definitions for hardness

hardness

[ härd′nĭs ]

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

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