hard Hear it!

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hard definition

hard (härd)

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.,
    1. difficult to do hard work
    2. difficult to understand, explain, or answer a hard question
    3. difficult to deal with; not easily managed or controlled a man hard to live with
    4. firmly fastened or tied a hard knot
    1. not easily moved; unfeeling; callous a hard heart
    2. unfriendly; hostile hard feelings
  5. practical and shrewd or calculating a hard customer
    1. firm or definite, esp. in an aggressive way a hard line in foreign policy
    2. undeniable, reliable, or actual hard facts
    3. consisting of the basic facts about major events, as opposed to presenting feature stories, opinion, etc. hard news
  6. causing pain or discomfort; specif.,
    1. difficult to endure; trying; exhausting a hard life
    2. harsh; severe; stern a hard master, hard words
  7. very cold, stormy, etc.; inclement a hard winter
    1. harsh, stiff, and wiry: said of fibers or cotton
    2. having no nap: said of a finish for fabric
    3. having a texture that is firm, dense, wiry, etc. a dog with a hard coat
    1. clearly defined or having sharp contrast; distinct hard outlines
    2. too clear, bright, or penetrating to be pleasant a hard light
  8. having in solution mineral salts that interfere with the lathering and cleansing properties of soap, corrode metals, etc.: said of water
  9. energetic and persistent; steady and earnest a hard worker
    1. fermented; alcoholic hard cider
    2. containing a relatively high percentage of alcohol; strong hard liquor
  10. : said of money
    1. of metal, not paper
    2. of currency or coin, not credit
  11. : said of certain currencies
    1. that can be exchanged for gold or silver
    2. that is readily accepted as foreign exchange
  12. Phonet.: not used in these ways as a technical term by phoneticians
    1. designating c sounded as in can or g sounded as in gun a hard g
    2. voiceless, as the sound of s in sin
    3. not palatalized: said as of certain consonants in Slavic languages
  13. Agric. high in gluten content hard wheat
  14. Chem. not easily biodegradable: said of detergents and pesticides
  15. Commerce high and stable: said of a market, prices, etc.
  16. Mil. heavily fortified: said as of an underground installation a hard base
  17. Radiology of high penetrating power: said of X-rays

Etymology: ME < OE heard, akin to Ger hart < IE base *kar-, hard > Gr karyon, nut, kratos, strength

adverb

  1. energetically and persistently; steadily and earnestly work hard
  2. with strength, violence, or severity hit hard
  3. with difficulty: often used in hyphenated compounds hard-earned, hard-sought
  4. so as to withstand much wear, use, etc. hard-wearing clothes
  5. deeply; fully; soundly sleep hard
  6. firmly; tightly hold on hard
  7. close; near we live hard by the woods
  8. so as to be or make firm, solid, or rigid to freeze hard
  9. with vigor and to the fullest extent: used esp. in indicating direction hard alee! turn hard right
hard Idioms

be hard on

  1. to treat severely; be harsh toward
  2. to be difficult, unpleasant, or painful for

hard and fast

invariable; strict: said of rules, etc.

hard of hearing

partially deaf

hard put (to it)

having considerable difficulty or trouble

hard up

Informal in great need of something, esp. money

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
hard Synonyms

hard

modif.

  1. Compact

    solid, unyielding, dense; see firm 2, thick 3.

  2. Difficult

    arduous, troublesome, laborious; see difficult 1, 2.

  3. Cruel

    perverse, unrelenting, vengeful; see cruel 1, 2.

  4. Persistent or energetic

    obdurate, stubborn, tough; see active 2, obstinate 1.

  5. Severe

    harsh, exacting, grim; see severe 1, 2.

  6. Alcoholic

    intoxicating, inebriating, stimulating; see strong 8.

  7. With difficulty

    strenuously, laboriously, with great effort; see carefully 1, vigorously. See syn. study at difficult, firm.

be hard on

treat severely, be harsh toward, be painful to; see abuse 1.

go hard with

be difficult, hinder, plague; see oppress.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

hard Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • hearing: Service for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Modifying Another Word

  • extremely: She works so extremely hard and just presents herself so magnificently.

Infinitive complement

  • imagine: Indeed were Carter himself not a real black man, it's not hard to imagine charges of racism being levied against the film.

Modifies a noun

  • disk: Hard disks - FIXED Broken USB Ports - FIXED We save you money.

Used with adjective complement

  • try: I will try harder to be less, well crap.
hard usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

hard quotes

As I was saying when I was interrupted, it is a powerful hard thing to please all of the people all of the time.

-Connor, Sir William Neil pseudonym Cassandra

'Hard,'replied the Dodger.'As nails,'added Charley Bates.

-Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

Can anybody remember when the times were not hard, and money was not scarce?

-Emerson, RalphWaldo

hard quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"hard." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/hard>

APA Style

hard. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/hard

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