Hard Definition and Meaning
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 5, 2024
Hard means solid, firm, and resistant to pressure; not easily broken, bent, or pierced. e.g., The table was made of hard wood.
Table of Contents
Hard Definitions
Solid and firm to the touch.
The ground was hard after the drought.
Severe or harsh in nature.
They faced hard times during the recession.
Done with a great deal of force or strength.
He hit the ball hard.
Requiring a lot of effort to do or achieve.
She worked hard to succeed.
Difficult to bear or endure.
The loss was a hard blow to the team.
Resistant to pressure; not readily penetrated; firm or solid
A hard material.
Well protected from an attack, as by aerial bombardment
Bunkers and other hard targets.
Requiring great effort or endurance
A hard assignment.
Performed with or marked by great diligence or energy
A project that required years of hard work.
Difficult to resolve, accomplish, or finish
That was a hard question.
Difficult to understand or impart
Physics was the hardest of my courses. Thermodynamics is a hard course to teach.
Proceeding or performing with force, vigor, or persistence; assiduous
A hard worker.
Intense in force or degree
A hard blow.
Inclement or severe
A long, hard winter.
Stern, strict, or demanding
A hard taskmaster.
Lacking compassion or sympathy; callous
Became hard after years in prison.
Difficult to endure; causing hardship or suffering
A hard life.
Oppressive or unjust in nature or effect
Restrictions that were hard on welfare applicants.
Harsh or severe in effect or intention
I said some hard things that I regret.
Marked by stubborn refusal to compromise or yield; uncompromising
Drives a hard bargain.
Bitter or resentful
Hard feelings caused by the insult.
Showing disapproval, bitterness, or resentment
Gave me a hard look.
Causing damage or premature wear
Snow and ice are hard on a car's finish.
Bad; adverse
Hard luck.
Real and unassailable
Hard evidence.
Definite; firm
A hard commitment.
Free from illusion or sentimentality; practical or realistic
We need to take a hard look at the situation.
Using or based on data that are readily quantified or verified
The hard sciences.
Marked by sharp delineation or contrast
A hard line separating the two lists.
Lacking in shade; undiminished
The hard light of the midday sun.
Hardcore.
Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle more acute than other possible routes.
Metallic, as opposed to paper. Used of currency.
Backed by bullion rather than by credit. Used of currency.
High and stable. Used of prices.
Durable; lasting
Hard merchandise.
Written or printed rather than stored in electronic media
Sent the information by hard mail.
Having high alcoholic content; intoxicating
Hard liquor.
Rendered alcoholic by fermentation; fermented
Hard cider.
Containing dissolved salts that interfere with the lathering action of soap or other cleansing agents. Used of water.
(Linguistics) Velar, as in c in cake or g in log, as opposed to palatal or soft.
(Physics) Of relatively high energy; penetrating
Hard x-rays.
High in gluten content
Hard wheat.
(Chemistry) Resistant to biodegradation
A hard detergent.
Extremely or dangerously addictive. Used of certain illegal drugs, such as heroin.
With strenuous effort; intently
Worked hard all day.
Stared hard at the accused criminal.
With great force, vigor, or energy
Pressed hard on the lever.
In such a way as to cause great damage or hardship
Industrial cities hit hard by unemployment.
With great distress, grief, or bitterness
Took the divorce hard.
Firmly; securely
Held hard to the railing.
Toward or into a solid condition
Concrete that sets hard within a day.
Near in space or time; close
The factory stands hard by the railroad tracks.
(Nautical) Completely; fully
Hard alee.
(of material or fluid) Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
Resistant to pressure.
This bread is so stale and hard, I can barely cut it.
(of drink or drugs) Strong.
(of a normally nonalcoholic drink) Containing alcohol.
Hard cider, hard lemonade, hard seltzer, hard soda
(of water) High in dissolved chemical salts, especially those of calcium.
Having the capability of being a permanent magnet by being a material with high magnetic coercivity (compare soft).
Having a high energy (high frequency; short wavelength).
Hard X-rays
Made up of parallel rays, producing clearly defined shadows.
(personal or social) Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
Difficult or requiring a lot of effort to do, understand, experience, or deal with.
A hard problem;
A hard question;
A hard topic
Demanding a lot of effort to endure.
A hard life
Severe, harsh, unfriendly, brutal.
A hard master;
A hard heart;
Hard words;
A hard character
The senator asked the party chief to put the hard word on his potential rivals.
(dated) Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
(military) Hardened; having unusually strong defences.
A hard site
(slang) Tough and muscular.
He thinks he's well hard.
Unquestionable, unequivocal.
Hard evidence;
A hard requirement
(of a road intersection) Having a comparatively larger or a ninety-degree angle.
At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the hard left.
(bodybuilding) Having muscles that are tightened as a result of intense, regular exercise.
Fortis.
Plosive.
There is a hard c in "clock" and a soft c in "centre".
Unvoiced.
Hard k, t, s, ch, as distinguished from soft, g, d, z, j.
(Slavic phonology) Velarized or plain, rather than palatalized.
(arts) Having a severe property; presenting a barrier to enjoyment.
Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in colour or shading.
(uncomparable)
In a physical form, not digital.
A soft or hard copy; a digital or hard archive
Using a manual or physical process, not by means of a software command.
A hard reboot or reset
(politics) Far, extreme.
Hard right, hard left
Of silk: not having had the natural gum boiled off.
(finance) Of a market: having more demand than supply; being a seller's market.
(manner) With much force or effort.
He hit the puck hard up the ice.
They worked hard all week.
At the intersection, bear hard left.
The recession hit them especially hard.
Think hard about your choices.
The couple were fucking each other hard.
(manner) With difficulty.
His degree was hard earned.
(obsolete) So as to raise difficulties.
(manner) Compactly.
The lake had finally frozen hard.
Near, close.
A firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
A tyre whose compound is softer than superhards, and harder than mediums.
Crack cocaine.
Hard labor.
The prisoners were sentenced to three years' hard.
Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; - applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.
Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem.
The hard causes they brought unto Moses.
In which are some things hard to be understood.
Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure.
Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
The stag was too hard for the horse.
A power which will be always too hard for them.
Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard conditions or terms.
I never could drive a hard bargain.
Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard heart; hard words; a hard character.
Not easy or agreeable to the taste; harsh; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style.
Figures harder than even the marble itself.
Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider.
Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; - said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc.
Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as, a hard tone.
Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly.
And prayed so hard for mercy from the prince.
My fatherIs hard at study; pray now, rest yourself.
With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard.
Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly.
So as to raise difficulties.
With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically; as, to press, to blow, to rain hard; hence, rapidly; nimbly; as, to run hard.
Close or near.
Whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
To harden; to make hard.
A ford or passage across a river or swamp.
Not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure;
A difficult task
Nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access
Difficult times
A difficult child
Found himself in a difficult situation
Why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?
Metaphorically hard;
A hard fate
Took a hard look
A hard bargainer
A hard climb
Not yielding to pressure or easily penetrated;
Hard as rock
Very strong or vigorous;
Strong winds
A hard left to the chin
A knockout punch
A severe blow
Characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort;
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
Of speech sounds
Of a drinker or drinking; indulging intemperately;
Does a lot of hard drinking
A heavy drinker
Having undergone fermentation;
Hard cider
Having a high alcoholic content;
Hard liquor
Unfortunate or hard to bear;
Had hard luck
A tough break
Dried out;
Hard dry rolls left over from the day before
With effort or force or vigor;
The team played hard
Worked hard all day
Pressed hard on the lever
Hit the ball hard
Slammed the door hard
With firmness;
Held hard to the railing
Earnestly or intently;
Thought hard about it
Stared hard at the accused
Causing great damage or hardship;
Industries hit hard by the depression
She was severely affected by the bank's failure
Slowly and with difficulty;
Prejudices die hard
Indulging excessively;
He drank heavily
Into a solid condition;
Concrete that sets hard within a few hours
Very near or close in space or time;
It stands hard by the railroad tracks
They were hard on his heels
A strike followed hard upon the plant's opening
With pain or distress or bitterness;
He took the rejection very hard
To the full extent possible; all the way;
Hard alee
The ship went hard astern
Swung the wheel hard left
Requiring a lot of effort or endurance.
The math problem was too hard for me.
Difficult to understand or solve.
The riddle was hard to figure out.
Referring to water with a high mineral content.
Hard water can damage appliances.
Not easy to bend or break.
The hard plastic casing protected the device.
Done with a lot of determination and effort.
They fought hard to win the game.
Hard Snonyms
Rigid
Unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible.
The rigid structure of the building resisted the strong winds.
Stiff
Not easily bent or changed in shape; rigid.
His muscles were stiff after the long hike.
Difficult
Requiring much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.
The difficult puzzle took hours to solve.
Challenging
Testing one's abilities; demanding.
The challenging course required serious dedication.
Demanding
Requiring much time, effort, or attention.
The demanding job left little time for personal life.
Firm
Having a solid, almost unyielding surface or structure.
The mattress was firm, providing excellent support.
Solid
Firm and stable in shape; not liquid or fluid.
The ground was solid enough to support the heavy machinery.
Tough
Strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or rough handling.
The tough material was used for outdoor gear.
Strenuous
Requiring or using great effort or exertion.
The strenuous workout left her feeling exhausted.
Arduous
Involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.
The arduous journey took them through mountainous terrain.
Hard Idioms & Phrases
Hard feelings
Resentment or bitterness after a dispute or unpleasant situation.
Despite the argument, there were no hard feelings between them.
A hard day's night
Working long and hard hours into the night.
After a hard day's night, all he wanted was to sleep.
Hard as nails
To be very tough or unsentimental.
The new coach was hard as nails, but he got great results from the team.
Hard pass
A firm refusal or rejection of something.
When offered a chance to go bungee jumping, he gave a hard pass.
Hard of hearing
Having difficulty in hearing or partial deafness.
As he grew older, he became hard of hearing.
Hard-hitting
Direct, forceful, and to the point, often in a manner that is impactful.
The journalist was known for her hard-hitting interviews.
Hard to swallow
Difficult to believe or accept.
The news of the sudden resignation was hard to swallow.
Hit hard
To be greatly affected, especially in a negative way.
The economic recession hit their business hard.
Hard up
In desperate need of money or resources.
They were hard up and couldn’t afford the new expense.
Play hard to get
To pretend to be uninterested in a romantic relationship to make oneself more desirable.
She was playing hard to get, making her all the more attractive to him.
Hard to come by
Rare or difficult to obtain.
Tickets for the final match were hard to come by.
Hard pill to swallow
A difficult fact or situation to accept.
Losing the championship was a hard pill to swallow.
Hard sell
A forceful or aggressive way of selling something.
The salesman gave us the hard sell on the insurance policy.
Hard-nosed
Tough and determined; not easily swayed.
The hard-nosed detective refused to give up on the case.
Take a hard line
To adopt a strict or uncompromising approach.
The government took a hard line against the protesters.
Hard-bitten
Toughened by experience; not easily shocked or distressed.
The hard-bitten journalist had covered wars and disasters.
Hard-won
Achieved only after a lot of effort.
Her hard-won victory in the marathon was a moment of triumph.
Hard-earned
Gained through a lot of effort.
He bought a car with his hard-earned money.
Hard and fast
Strict and not to be changed.
The rules of the competition were hard and fast.
Hard-wired
Innately or naturally part of one's character or physical makeup.
He was hard-wired to be competitive.
Hard Example Sentences
The chair is made of hard, durable material.
They worked hard to finish the project on time.
The puzzle was hard, but she solved it eventually.
The floor was too hard to sleep on comfortably.
His father gave him some hard advice.
It's hard to believe that story.
The surface was too hard for planting.
The bread had gone hard and stale.
It's hard to see in the dark.
It rained hard all afternoon.
They went through some hard times together.
They had to make a hard decision.
The athletes trained hard for the competition.
The test was hard, but I passed.
She studied hard for the exams.
Common Curiosities
What is a stressed syllable in hard?
The entire word "hard" is stressed as it is a single syllable.
How many syllables are in hard?
There is one syllable in "hard."
Why is it called hard?
"Hard" is called so because it comes from the Old English word "heard," meaning solid, firm, and not easily bent or broken.
How do we divide hard into syllables?
As "hard" has only one syllable, it cannot be divided into smaller syllable units.
How is hard used in a sentence?
Example: "She worked hard to achieve her goals."
What part of speech is hard?
"Hard" is primarily an adjective. It can also be used as an adverb.
What is the pronunciation of hard?
Hard is pronounced as /hɑːrd/.
What is the singular form of hard?
"Hard" does not have a singular form as it is an adjective, not a noun.
Is hard an abstract noun?
"Hard" is not a noun; it's an adjective and an adverb.
Is the word hard Gerund?
"Hard" is not a verb, so it does not have a gerund form.
What is the verb form of hard?
"Hard" is primarily an adjective; it doesn't have a verb form. The verb form would be "harden."
What is the root word of hard?
The root word of "hard" is the Old English "heard."
What is the plural form of hard?
"Hard" does not have a plural form as it is an adjective.
What is the opposite of hard?
The opposite of "hard" is "easy" or "soft."
Is hard a vowel or consonant?
The word "hard" starts with a consonant.
Is hard a collective noun?
"Hard" is not a noun, so it cannot be a collective noun.
Is the hard term a metaphor?
"Hard" can be used metaphorically depending on the context.
Which determiner is used with hard?
Determiners like "the," "a," "this," "that" can be used depending on the context where "hard" is used.
Is hard an adverb?
Yes, "hard" can be used as an adverb.
Is the word hard imperative?
"Hard" is not typically used in the imperative form as it is an adjective or adverb, not a verb.
Is the word “hard” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Hard" is an adjective or adverb, not a noun, so it cannot be a direct or indirect object.
Is hard a negative or positive word?
"Hard" is neutral; its connotation depends on the context.
Is hard a countable noun?
"Hard" is not a noun; it's an adjective and an adverb.
Which preposition is used with hard?
Prepositions are not typically used directly with "hard," but depend on the sentence structure.
Which conjunction is used with hard?
There is no specific conjunction that is always used with "hard." It depends on the sentence structure.
Which article is used with hard?
The use of an article with "hard" depends on the surrounding nouns and the context of the sentence.
What is another term for hard?
Another term for "hard" is "difficult" or "sturdy."
Is hard a noun or adjective?
"Hard" is primarily an adjective and can also be used as an adverb.
Which vowel is used before hard?
The use of a vowel before "hard" depends on the context and the structure of the sentence.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
