hard
- adjective
- /hɑrd/
- The surface of the table was made of hard wood, resistant to scratches.
- a hard copy
- a hard drive
- a hard surface
They, they are the hardest granite that there is.
- They, they are the hardest granite that there is.
- Now, the president began the call with hard data rally.
- To make the transition from hard copy, just drop it or what?
- So you just need a flat, hard or firm surface.
- Your skull is really hard and has sharp Bony ridges.
- I'm telling you, when people get hard, people get happy.
Examples
-
The two young men sat side by side in cheap, hard, vacuum-formed plastic chairs.
Fiction book (1990) -
The tumor was about 3 x 3 cm, hard, and ivory white in appearance.
Academic text (2008) -
All right, so something heavy, something hard, something with a handle.
-
It was really hard to open.
-
In the last 23 years, 41 percent of this hard, multiyear ice has vanished.
Academic text (2008) -
The rock was so hard that it could not be scratched with a knife.
-
He took a big bite of the hard bread and found it difficult to chew.
Synonyms
Firm and hard so it keeps its shape, not liquid
Not easy to bend or move
Does not bend because it is stiff
Hard to cut and chew, often meat or old bread
Hard and solid to the touch, not easily pressed
Very hard and solid like stone
Hard and not easily bent or broken by force
Not able to bend or change shape
Very hard and not easy to break
Very strong and not easily broken or changed
Very firm and unwilling to change in attitude or mind
Very strong and not likely to break or change
Made by heating until very hard and dry, for example food or clay
A food or material that is partly hard and partly soft, between soft and firm
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To learn something through mistakes and problems instead of taking an easier path
- Informal
Find out by going through a difficult or painful experience instead of being warned
- Informal
Life experience you get by facing hard problems instead of formal education
- Informal
To put a lot of effort into work and enjoy free time actively
- Archaic
To be extremely tired and worn after hard work or rough treatment
- Informal
A humorous question asking if people do their job a lot or only a little
Compounds
- NSFW
A strong illegal substance that people quickly become addicted to, like heroin or cocaine
- Specialized
Water that has many minerals like calcium or magnesium so soap does not make good bubbles
- Specialized
A very hard material made from tree sap and heated to become stiff, used for pen barrels or handles
A paved area at the side of a motorway or main road where vehicles can stop in an emergency
A crab that has a hard outer covering because it has not recently shed its skin
- Specialized
The bony front part of the roof of the mouth that separates the mouth from the nose
- Specialized
A small mushroom with a hard outer skin that grows underground like a truffle
- New Zealand
A tall New Zealand tree with very hard wood used for furniture and building
- US
A large edible clam from the Atlantic coast whose shell was once used as money by Native Americans
- Specialized
Heavy metal that people make harder by adding antimony or other metals for industrial use
- UK
A sweet creamy mix of butter and sugar often flavored with brandy and served with warm pudding
- Specialized
A metal mix that melts at a high temperature to join pieces of metal when heated
- Specialized
Steel with more carbon that is very strong and not easy to bend, often used for tools and blades
- Specialized
A tick with a hard shield on its back and mouth parts that stick out from its head
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hard comes from Old English heard, from an old German word meaning 'firm' or 'strong'. Think of a stone that will not bend — that's why hard means 'firm and solid'.