1. Home
  2. Dictionary
  3. Hard

Definition of Hard in English :

Define Hard in English

Hard meaning in English

Meaning of Hard in English

Pronunciation of Hard in English

Hard pronunciation in English

Pronounce Hard in English

Hard

see synonyms of hard

Adjective

1. difficult, hard

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

Example Sentences:
'a difficult task'
'nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access'
'difficult times'
'why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?'

2. hard

dispassionate

Example Sentences:
'took a hard look'
'a hard bargainer'

3. hard

resisting weight or pressure

4. hard, knockout, severe

very strong or vigorous

Example Sentences:
'strong winds'
'a hard left to the chin'
'a knockout punch'
'a severe blow'

5. arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome

characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

Example Sentences:
'worked their arduous way up the mining valley'
'a grueling campaign'
'hard labor'
'heavy work'
'heavy going'
'spent many laborious hours on the project'
'set a punishing pace'

6. hard, surd, unvoiced, voiceless

produced without vibration of the vocal cords

Example Sentences:
'unvoiced consonants such as p' and k' and s''

7. concentrated, hard

(of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source

8. hard

(of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward or touching the velum

Example Sentences:
'Russian distinguished between hard consonants and palatalized or soft consonants'

9. hard, heavy, intemperate

given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors

Example Sentences:
'a hard drinker'

10. hard, strong

being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content

Example Sentences:
'hard liquor'

11. hard, tough

unfortunate or hard to bear

Example Sentences:
'had hard luck'
'a tough break'

12. hard

dried out

Example Sentences:
'hard dry rolls left over from the day before'

Adverb

13. hard

with effort or force or vigor

Example Sentences:
'the team played hard'
'worked hard all day'
'pressed hard on the lever'
'hit the ball hard'
'slammed the door hard'

14. firmly, hard

with firmness

Example Sentences:
'held hard to the railing'

15. hard

earnestly or intently

Example Sentences:
'thought hard about it'
'stared hard at the accused'

16. hard, severely

causing great damage or hardship

Example Sentences:
'industries hit hard by the depression'
'she was severely affected by the bank's failure'

17. hard

slowly and with difficulty

Example Sentences:
'prejudices die hard'

18. hard, heavily, intemperately

indulging excessively

Example Sentences:
'he drank heavily'

19. hard

into a solid condition

Example Sentences:
'concrete that sets hard within a few hours'

20. hard

very near or close in space or time

Example Sentences:
'it stands hard by the railroad tracks'
'they were hard on his heels'
'a strike followed hard upon the plant's opening'

21. hard

with pain or distress or bitterness

Example Sentences:
'he took the rejection very hard'

22. hard

to the full extent possible; all the way

Example Sentences:
'hard alee'
'the ship went hard astern'
'swung the wheel hard left'

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Hard

see synonyms of hard
adjective
1. 
firm or rigid; not easily dented, crushed, or pierced
2. 
toughened by or as if by physical labour; not soft or smooth
hard hands
3. 
difficult to do or accomplish; arduous
a hard task
4. 
difficult to understand or perceive
a hard question
5. 
showing or requiring considerable physical or mental energy, effort, or application
hard work
a hard drinker
6. 
stern, cold, or intractable
a hard judge
7. 
exacting; demanding
a hard master
8. 
harsh; cruel
a hard fate
9. 
inflicting pain, sorrow, distress, or hardship
hard times
10. 
tough or adamant
a hard man
11. 
forceful or violent
a hard knock
12. 
cool or uncompromising
we took a long hard look at our profit factor
13. 
indisputable; real
hard facts
14. chemistry
(of water) impairing the formation of a lather by soap
hardness (sense 3)
15. 
practical, shrewd, or calculating
he is a hard man in business
16. 
too harsh to be pleasant
hard light
17. 
a. 
(of cash, money, etc) in coin and paper rather than cheques
b. 
(of currency) in strong demand, esp as a result of a good balance of payments situation
c. 
(of credit) difficult to obtain; tight
18. 
(of alcoholic drink) being a spirit rather than a wine, beer, etc
the hard stuff
19. 
(of a drug such as heroin, morphine, or cocaine) highly addictive
Compare soft (sense 20)
20. physics
(of radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays) having high energy and the ability to penetrate solids
21. physics
(of a vacuum) almost complete
22. mainly US
(of goods) durable
23. 
short for hard-core
hard core (sense 3), hard core (sense 4)
24. 
(of news coverage) concentrating on serious stories
25. phonetics
a.  an older word for fortis
b. 
(not in modern technical usage) denoting the consonants c and g in English when they are pronounced as velar stops (k, g)
c. 
(of consonants in the Slavonic languages) not palatalized
26. 
a. 
being heavily fortified and protected
b. 
(of nuclear missiles) located underground in massively reinforced silos
27. 
politically extreme
the hard left
28. British and New Zealand informal
incorrigible or disreputable (esp in the phrase a hard case)
29. 
(of bread, etc) stale and old
30.  a hard nut to crack
31.  hard by
32.  hard doer
33.  hard done by
34.  hard up
35.  put the hard word on
adverb
36. 
with great energy, force, or vigour
the team always played hard
37. 
as far as possible; all the way
hard left
38. 
with application; earnestly or intently
she thought hard about the formula
39. 
with great intensity, force, or violence
his son's death hit him hard
40. (foll by on, upon, by, or after)
close; near
hard on his heels
41. (foll by at)
assiduously; devotedly
42. 
a. 
with effort or difficulty
their victory was hard won
b. 
(in combination)
hard-earned
43. 
slowly and reluctantly
prejudice dies hard
44.  go hard with
45.  hard at it
46.  hard put
noun
47. 
any colorant that produces a harsh coarse appearance
48. British
a roadway across a foreshore
49. slang
hard labour
50. vulgar, slang
an erection of the penis (esp in the phrase get or have a hard on)

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Hard

see synonyms of hard
adjective
1. 
not easily dented, pierced, cut, or crushed; resistant to pressure; firm and unyielding to the touch; rigid; solid and compact
2. 
having firm muscles; in good bodily trim; vigorous and robust
3. 
showing, or done with, great force or strength; powerful; violent; vigorous
a hard blow
4. 
demanding great physical or mental effort or labor; fatiguing; difficult
; specif.,
a. 
difficult to do
hard work
b. 
difficult to understand, explain, or answer
a hard question
c. 
difficult to deal with; not easily managed or controlled
a man hard to live with
d. 
firmly fastened or tied
a hard knot
5. 
a. 
not easily moved; unfeeling; callous
a hard heart
b. 
unfriendly; hostile
hard feelings
6. 
practical and shrewd or calculating
a hard customer
7. 
a. 
firm or definite, esp. in an aggressive way
a hard line in foreign policy
b. 
undeniable, reliable, or actual
hard facts
c. 
consisting of the basic facts about major events, as opposed to presenting feature stories, opinion, etc.
hard news
8. 
causing pain or discomfort
; specif.,
a. 
difficult to endure; trying; exhausting
a hard life
b. 
harsh; severe; stern
a hard master, hard words
9. 
very cold, stormy, etc.; inclement
a hard winter
10. 
a. 
harsh, stiff, and wiry
said of fibers or cotton
b. 
having no nap
said of a finish for fabric
c. 
having a texture that is firm, dense, wiry, etc.
a dog with a hard coat
11. 
a. 
clearly defined or having sharp contrast; distinct
hard outlines
b. 
too clear, bright, or penetrating to be pleasant
a hard light
12. 
having in solution mineral salts that interfere with the lathering and cleansing properties of soap, corrode metals, etc.
said of water
13. 
energetic and persistent; steady and earnest
a hard worker
14. 
a. 
fermented; alcoholic
hard cider
b. 
containing a relatively high percentage of alcohol; strong
hard liquor
15. 
a. 
of metal, not paper
b. 
of currency or coin, not credit
said of money
16. 
a. 
that can be exchanged for gold or silver
b. 
that is readily accepted as foreign exchange
said of certain currencies
17.  Phonetics
a. 
designating c sounded as in can or g sounded as in gun
a hard g
b. 
voiceless, as the sound of s in sin
c. 
not palatalized
said as of certain consonants in Slavic languages
; not used in these ways as a technical term by phoneticians
18.  Agriculture
high in gluten content
hard wheat
19.  Chemistry
not easily biodegradable
said of detergents and pesticides
20.  Business
high and stable
said of a market, prices, etc.
21.  Military
heavily fortified
said as of an underground installation
a hard base
22.  Radiology
of high penetrating power
said of X-rays
adverb
23. 
energetically and persistently; steadily and earnestly
work hard
24. 
with strength, violence, or severity
hit hard
25. 
with difficulty
often used in hyphenated compounds
hard-earned, hard-sought
26. 
so as to withstand much wear, use, etc.
hard-wearing clothes
27. 
deeply; fully; soundly
sleep hard
28. 
firmly; tightly
hold on hard
29. 
close; near
we live hard by the woods
30. 
so as to be or make firm, solid, or rigid
to freeze hard
31. 
with vigor and to the fullest extent
used esp. in indicating direction
hard alee! turn hard right

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Hard

see synonyms of hard
adj. hard·er, hard·est
1.
a. Resistant to pressure; not readily penetrated; firm or solid: a hard material.
b. Well protected from an attack, as by aerial bombardment: bunkers and other hard targets.
2.
a. Requiring great effort or endurance: a hard assignment.
b. Performed with or marked by great diligence or energy: a project that required years of hard work.
c. Difficult to resolve, accomplish, or finish: That was a hard question.
d. Difficult to understand or impart: Physics was the hardest of my courses. Thermodynamics is a hard course to teach.
3. Proceeding or performing with force, vigor, or persistence; assiduous: a hard worker.
4.
a. Intense in force or degree: a hard blow.
b. Inclement or severe: a long, hard winter.
5.
a. Stern, strict, or demanding: a hard taskmaster.
b. Lacking compassion or sympathy; callous: became hard after years in prison.
6.
a. Difficult to endure; causing hardship or suffering: a hard life.
b. Oppressive or unjust in nature or effect: restrictions that were hard on welfare applicants.
c. Harsh or severe in effect or intention: I said some hard things that I regret.
d. Marked by stubborn refusal to compromise or yield; uncompromising: drives a hard bargain.
e. Bitter or resentful: hard feelings caused by the insult.
f. Showing disapproval, bitterness, or resentment: gave me a hard look.
7.
a. Causing damage or premature wear: Snow and ice are hard on a car's finish.
b. Bad; adverse: hard luck.
8.
a. Real and unassailable: hard evidence.
b. Definite; firm: a hard commitment.
c. Free from illusion or sentimentality; practical or realistic: We need to take a hard look at the situation.
d. Using or based on data that are readily quantified or verified: the hard sciences.
9.
a. Marked by sharp delineation or contrast: a hard line separating the two lists.
b. Lacking in shade; undiminished: the hard light of the midday sun.
10. Hardcore.
11. Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle more acute than other possible routes.
12.
a. Metallic, as opposed to paper. Used of currency.
b. Backed by bullion rather than by credit. Used of currency.
c. High and stable. Used of prices.
13.
a. Durable; lasting: hard merchandise.
b. Written or printed rather than stored in electronic media: sent the information by hard mail.
14. Erect; tumid. Used of a penis.
15.
a. Having high alcoholic content; intoxicating: hard liquor.
b. Rendered alcoholic by fermentation; fermented: hard cider.
16. Containing dissolved salts that interfere with the lathering action of soap or other cleansing agents. Used of water.
17. Linguistics Velar, as in c in cake or g in log, as opposed to palatal or soft.
18. Physics Of relatively high energy; penetrating: hard x-rays.
19. High in gluten content: hard wheat.
20. Chemistry Resistant to biodegradation: a hard detergent.
21. Extremely or dangerously addictive. Used of certain illegal drugs, such as heroin.
adv.
1. With strenuous effort; intently: worked hard all day; stared hard at the accused criminal.
2. With great force, vigor, or energy: pressed hard on the lever.
3. In such a way as to cause great damage or hardship: industrial cities hit hard by unemployment.
4. With great distress, grief, or bitterness: took the divorce hard.
5. Firmly; securely: held hard to the railing.
6. Toward or into a solid condition: concrete that sets hard within a day.
7. Near in space or time; close: The factory stands hard by the railroad tracks.
8. Nautical Completely; fully: hard alee.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

WORD OF THE DAY

auteur

FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS

Recent Searches