noun
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the wood of any of numerous broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees, such as oak, beech, ash, etc, as distinguished from the wood of a conifer
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any tree from which this wood is obtained
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A eudicot or magnoliid tree, especially as distinguished from a coniferous, or softwood, tree.
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The wood of a eudicot or magnoliid tree. Hardwoods are in general harder than softwood. However, some hardwoods, such as basswood, are comparatively soft, while some softwoods, such as yew, are comparatively hard.
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Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hardwood
Vocabulary lists containing hardwood
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.
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The unit features hardwood floors and built-in bookshelves and storage.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
In pellets produced from termites feeding on natural hardwood, the estimated amount fell as much as 190-fold between fresh samples and those aged for a year.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Beyond hardwood or turf battles, younger siblings can benefit from a profound shift in parental behavior, a phenomenon Louisiana Tech University sport and exercise psychology professor Dr. Jordan Blazo calls the “rough draft hypothesis.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Clark, an inveterate trash-talker and hyper-competitive athlete, has seemed completely uninterested in courting controversy away from the hardwood.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
They are wonderfully built homes, aluminum skins, doublewalled, with insulation, and often paneled with veneer of hardwood.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Choose items such as hardwoods as opposed to softer woods or inexpensive materials that may not last.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
Researchers studying hardwoods in northwest Ohio say a century of warming has extended their annual growing season by a month on average.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2023
Some varieties prefer to grow in manure, others like living trees and still others flourish on decaying hardwoods like oak logs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
The researchers also identified more exotic ingredients, including dammar and elemi, resins extracted from hardwoods native to Southeast Asian rainforests thousands of kilometers from ancient Egypt.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 1, 2023
She paused in front of a stand of hardwoods and studied the trees.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
