capable of enduring fatigue, hardship, exposure, etc.; sturdy; strong.
hardy explorers of northern Canada.
(of plants) able to withstand the cold of winter in the open air.
requiring great physical courage, vigor, or endurance.
the hardiest sports.
bold or daring; courageous.
hardy soldiers.
unduly bold; presumptuous; foolhardy.
Godfrey Harold, 1877–1947, English mathematician.
Oliver, 1892–1957, U.S. motion-picture comedian.
Thomas, 1840–1928, English novelist and poet.
having or demanding a tough constitution; robust
bold; courageous
foolhardy; rash
(of plants) able to live out of doors throughout the winter
Oliver. See Laurel and Hardy
Thomas. 1840–1928, British novelist and poet. Most of his novels are set in his native Dorset (part of his fictional Wessex) and include Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895), after which his work consisted chiefly of verse
Sir Thomas Masterman. 1769–1839, British naval officer, flag captain under Nelson (1799–1805): 1st Sea Lord (1830)
1175–1225; Middle English hardi < Old French, past participle of *hardir to harden, make brave < Germanic; compare Gothic -hardjan, Old High German hartjan to harden
Hardy means tough––if you're hardy, you don't get tired easily and can endure hardship. People who don't catch cold often attribute this fact to their coming from hardy farming stock. Before 1200, hardy indicated boldness and daring in battle and was probably influenced by hard. Warriors are hardy: they’re brave and strong and don’t easily tire. Plants and animals can also be hardy if they can survive harsh weather or poor growing conditions. When planting a lawn, you should pick hardy species of grass, which will survive droughts and come back after long, cold winters.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But “Doctor Who” is a hardy plant, an institution in two centuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Officials now have the unenviable task of euthanising the creepy-crawlies, an insect so hardy it spawned an urban legend they could survive a nuclear blast.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Those immediately guarding the president seem to be hardy and quick, but the peripheries of such events are a continuing problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Australia has long supposed that its troops are the kind you want to be fighting alongside, but also fighting against: effective, hardy, brave and loyal while being fair and ethical.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
He was bringing down coconuts when he was good and hardy and knew what he was doing.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Unlike Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, or Hope and Crosby, who relied on tightly scripted setups, this disparate yet kindred duo captured America’s heart by being viscerally, uproariously and unpredictably wild.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
After sound came in, full-length feature comedies—by Laurel and Hardy, Mae West, W.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
According to Beresford Adam and Dafydd Hardy estate agents, Parc Delfryn is not the only development in the area that has struggled to sell houses that must only be used as second homes.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
“He was one of the guys who wanted to protect his community,” his sister, Tianna Hardy, told me later.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
In April 1921 his wife, a well-known pacifist and suffragette named Jessie Hardy Stubbs, flung herself off a bridge over the East River in New York and drowned.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
I asked Jennings to show me some of his favorite hardies.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 29, 2021
Softies and hardies have been fighting for as long as I can remember.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 4, 2013
Tulips bloom in February and March; Daffodils, German Iris, and other hardies from February to May; also Lilies-of-the-Valley, which latter are more scarce on account of the dryness of the atmosphere.
From Beautiful Gardens in America by Shelton, Louise
These conditions led to slow-growing tall trees with deeper rooting systems able to access the water, making them hardier in the face of drought, Chen said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2024
At night, the carriers rested the Mazu statue in a temple, and hardier pilgrims slept in the temple or on the nearby streets. unrolling thin rubber mattresses.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2024
A splash of water, stock or wine helps wilt and soften everything, especially the hardier plants like collards and broccoli raab.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
To revitalise the saffron farmers, Dr Allie is trying to breed hardier crocus plants.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2023
Either because they were quicker and hardier, or because of some plan of Grishnákh’s, the Isengarders gradually passed through the Orcs of Mordor, and Grishnákh’s folk closed in behind.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
There will always be those hardiest of Caddyshack souls prepared to battle 40mph winds and driving rain, bunting their ball down muddy fairways and putting across soaked greens.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
Those who travel during the holidays are used to long trips, but only the hardiest would try a 1,900-mile van ride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2024
A daughter of Washington, D.C.’s Black bourgeoisie, Horn often attired herself in furs and white gloves, but she could outlast even the hardiest barfly as the night wore on.
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2024
Only the hardiest surfers can truly spend all day in the water, so part of Westport’s appeal is its surf-town feel.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2023
But about the Gate resistance still was stout, and there the knights of Dol Amroth and the hardiest of the garrison stood at bay.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
