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hard

hard

56 7.9
A person who often drinks, smokes, or gambles too much
  • adjective
  • /hɑrd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : bebedor empedernido
  • Corinne knew how Michael enjoyed that hard-drinking crowd, but she hadn't been able to like them much.
  • a hard-drinking person

Dad was a jock, Glaswegian soldier, real hard drinking, Jack of all trades guy.

Examples

  • The hard-drinking Siberian should have been an embarrassment to the Russian people, in Gorbachev's mind.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And he's struggling really hard with alcoholism.

  • After one of his nights of hard drinking, Miguel would eat a pint.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • As an example, the immigrant poor, especially Irish Catholics, are depicted as members of a hard-drinking bachelor subculture.

    Academic text (1990)
  • After years of hard drinking, he decided to seek help for his addiction.

  • Many people struggle with the challenges of hard living, especially when it comes to alcohol.

  • Her friends warned her that his hard lifestyle would eventually lead to serious consequences.

Synonyms

intemperate
vshard
  • Formal
5 8.8

Cannot control strong feelings or actions, often when drinking alcohol

is limited to bodily appetites and especially excess drinking
gluttonous
vshard
3 7.2

Someone who always eats or drinks too much

focuses more on excessive drinking rather than mainly eating
crapulous
vshard
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Feeling sick after eating or drinking too much

describes a tendency to indulge excessively rather than showing later illness

Antonyms

415 3.3

Not very large or intense

4 7.4

Avoiding things you enjoy, like food and drink, for discipline or religion

Idioms

the hard way
  • Informal
76 5.4

To learn something through mistakes and problems instead of taking an easier path

no hard feelings
  • Informal
34 4.8

Not angry or upset after an argument

22 6.0

Find out by going through a difficult or painful experience instead of being warned

hard up
  • Informal
10 8.0

Having very little money and struggling to pay bills

Difficult to understand

Difficult to find, stop, or understand

A difficult situation where you have no good choice

So attractive you cannot say no

A person who is not easily satisfied and often complains

Difficult to explain or defend as reasonable

hard on the eyes
  • Informal
2 6.8

Unpleasant to look at and makes your eyes feel tired

A time when someone has many problems and finds life difficult

1 8.3

Unable to manage easily because you have little money or help

Easy to notice because it is large, bright, or strong

1 7.4

Life experience you get by facing hard problems instead of formal education

To put a lot of effort into work and enjoy free time actively

Very difficult for people to understand or do

8.9

A phrase showing little or no sympathy for someone's bad luck

To be extremely tired and worn after hard work or rough treatment

A humorous question asking if people do their job a lot or only a little

A lifestyle of very hard work followed by active free time

Compounds

382 2.9

A period when someone has difficulty or trouble

355 1.6

A lot of steady effort to achieve something difficult

hard drive
  • Specialized
106 2.8

A device inside a computer that stores files and lets you open them

104 3.1

A period when people have many problems with money or daily life

33 1.3

A person who puts a lot of effort into their job or tasks

24 5.1

A firm position that accepts no compromise in politics or talks

hard-line
  • Literature
21 7.2

Firm and unwilling to change views or plans, often in politics

20 3.1

A paper copy printed or typed from a computer

hard-hitting
  • Literature
17 5.6

Direct and strong speech, writing, or action that shocks people

hard time
  • Informal
17 8.2

A period in prison that is especially severe

16 4.7

Needing a lot of effort and struggle to get something

hard sell
  • Informal
15 5.3

A strong, pushy effort to make someone buy something

14 2.5

A plastic helmet that people wear to protect their heads on building sites

A person who can hear some sounds but not well

12 5.7

Very clear rules or limits that do not allow change

hard disk
  • Specialized
12 3.0

A fixed part inside a computer that stores files and data

11 3.2

Very hard and solid like stone

11 6.5

Very loyal and dedicated to a group or cause

10 2.7

Money in the form of bills and coins, not cards or electronic payments

hard currency
  • Specialized
10 4.9

Money that is widely used and stays stable in value

hard right
  • Literature
8 7.9

A very conservative group in a political party

An egg boiled until the white and yolk are solid

8 3.9

An alcoholic drink stronger than beer or wine, like whiskey and vodka

hard news
  • Literature
7 3.5

News about serious events like politics, crime, or disasters

hard drug
  • NSFW
7 4.6

A strong illegal substance that people quickly become addicted to, like heroin or cocaine

7 1.0

A small sweet made from sugar that you suck rather than chew

A fixed instruction you cannot change or adapt

5 5.4

A small group of members who are very loyal and always support it

hard knocks
  • Informal
5 6.0

Difficult experiences that teach you important life lessons

hard water
  • Specialized
3 3.8

Water that has many minerals like calcium or magnesium so soap does not make good bubbles

3 7.5

Unwilling to change bad habits or beliefs

2 3.3

A drink made from apples that has alcohol

1 3.6

A strong alcoholic drink like whiskey or vodka

1 2.1

A small round bread baked to have a hard, crisp crust

hard rubber
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A very hard material made from tree sap and heated to become stiff, used for pen barrels or handles

1 3.2

A paved area at the side of a motorway or main road where vehicles can stop in an emergency

hard yakka
  • Australian
1 9.8

Very hard physical or mental work that needs a lot of effort

1 1.0

An egg boiled until the white and yolk are solid

rock hard abs
  • Informal
1 4.7

Stomach muscles that are very firm and easy to see

bone hard
  • Informal
1 7.7

Very strong and not easily broken or changed

A crab that has a hard outer covering because it has not recently shed its skin

A practical, strict way to handle problems to get results

A person who cannot hear well

1 3.6

Having a hard outer covering that protects what is inside, like a crab or nut

A person who is not easily pleased and often complains

1 7.9

A kind of jazz from the 1950s with a strong blues feeling and soulful sound

hard palate
  • Specialized
1 4.6

The bony front part of the roof of the mouth that separates the mouth from the nose

hard currency
  • Jargon
1 5.5

Game money you buy with real money to get special items

hard wheat
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A grain with hard, dark seeds used to make bread and pasta

hard-core
  • Jargon
1 7.9

A game mode where death means permanent loss of progress

A North American clam with a thick hard shell that is eaten as food

hard-skinned puffball
  • Specialized
9.9

A small mushroom with a hard outer skin that grows underground like a truffle

hard beech
  • New Zealand
9.4

A tall New Zealand tree with very hard wood used for furniture and building

6.3

A large edible clam from the Atlantic coast whose shell was once used as money by Native Americans

hard coal
  • Specialized
4.0

A hard natural fuel that burns slowly and gives very strong heat

hard mode
  • Jargon
6.4

A video game setting that makes play much harder

hard nail
  • Informal
8.4

A person who is very tough and not easily influenced

Physical money you can hold, such as bills and coins, not checks or cards

9.0

A fern with tough, leathery leaves that grows in shady woods

hard lead
  • Specialized
8.1

Heavy metal that people make harder by adding antimony or other metals for industrial use

7.2

Food that comes from fish eggs or the egg-filled part of a fish with a grainy feel

8.8

A tall wild plant with stiff round stems that grows in wet places

6.3

A sweet creamy mix of butter and sugar often flavored with brandy and served with warm pudding

hard sign
  • Specialized
9.9

A Cyrillic letter that makes the consonant before it sound hard

4.1

A very loud forceful closing of a door or window

hard solder
  • Specialized
7.7

A metal mix that melts at a high temperature to join pieces of metal when heated

hard steel
  • Specialized
4.6

Steel with more carbon that is very strong and not easy to bend, often used for tools and blades

hard subtitle
  • Specialized
4.1

Text always shown on the screen that cannot be turned off

hard tick
  • Specialized
7.7

A tick with a hard shield on its back and mouth parts that stick out from its head

Made by heating until very hard and dry, for example food or clay

Ni-hard iron
  • Specialized
8.2

A strong iron with nickel added to resist wear in machine parts

How Indulgent

addicted
  • NSFW
229 4.1
dissolute
  • Formal
3 8.8
hard
  • Archaic
56 7.9
indulgent
36 6.1
moderate
415 3.3
abstinent
4 7.4

Surface Forms

hard positive
harder comparative
hardest superlative

Etymology

Hard comes from Old English heard, meaning 'strong' or 'severe', and the word was used for strong drinks and habits. So a hard drinker is someone who drinks heavily, as with 'hard' liquor.