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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.

The laser-leading method also struggled to maintain the hardness required for success.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

“Each and every day I have to ask God to lift the hardness in my heart, because I‘m angry,” Lewis said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025

"We examined different sand shapes, finding a sand that would give us hardness, combining elements of clay, silt and particle distribution to make sure that we had a high-binding strength soil," says McKay.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 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

I think I’d tried to hide that hardness from him because I’d wanted him to like me.

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

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.