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Glite Dictionary
hard mode

hard mode

6.4
A video game setting that makes play much harder
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : modo difícil
  • She chose to play the latest adventure game on hard mode to test her abilities.

Examples

  • We may have raised the bar too high in hard mode.

    Blog text (4)

  • The score is the closest it's ever been in try not to laugh hard mode history tonight.

  • And then we could also have some hard modes that we want to integrate out.

  • We are told that completing the entire game on hard mode is not a trivial task by any means.

    Blog text (4)

  • Completing the game on hard mode requires advanced skills and strategies.

  • Many players find that hard mode offers an exciting challenge compared to standard settings.

How Difficult

mythic
  • Jargon
1 7.2
heroics
  • Jargon
8.3
hard mode
  • Jargon
6.4

Surface Forms

hard mode singular
hard modes plural

Morphology

hard + mode

The meaning 'a more difficult level or setting' is directly and compositionally derived from 'hard' (difficult) + 'mode' (a setting or configuration). This adjective+noun pattern is regular in English and mirrors constructions in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Hard mode comes from video games where players choose how the game plays. The word hard means difficult and mode means the way the game runs, so hard mode means 'a more difficult level'.