hard Hear it!

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
  6. 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
  8. causing pain or discomfort; specif.,
    1. difficult to endure; trying; exhausting a hard life
    2. harsh; severe; stern a hard master, hard words
  9. 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
  12. having in solution mineral salts that interfere with the lathering and cleansing properties of soap, corrode metals, etc.: said of water
  13. 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
  15. : said of money
    1. of metal, not paper
    2. of currency or coin, not credit
  16. : said of certain currencies
    1. that can be exchanged for gold or silver
    2. that is readily accepted as foreign exchange
  17. 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
  18. Agric. high in gluten content hard wheat
  19. Chem. not easily biodegradable: said of detergents and pesticides
  20. Commerce high and stable: said of a market, prices, etc.
  21. Mil. heavily fortified: said as of an underground installation a hard base
  22. 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

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.

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.
  • believe: It's hard to believe he did it deliberately.
  • beat: For the doctor who needs the bottom line in a hurry, this book is hard to beat.
  • find: They are a little hard to find on the DFID Web Site.
  • understand: Tho the text is hard to understand at points, the humor is to die for.
  • tell: It can be hard to tell which one is correct.

Modifies a noun

  • disk: Hard disks - FIXED Broken USB Ports - FIXED We save you money.
  • drive: Your hard drive might have a capacity of 10 GB.
  • copy: For a hard copy or help in reading the Scheme, please contact the Policy Unit.
  • work: We thank Clair for all her hard work in the past.
  • shoulder: I don't envy the motorists who saw me throwing up on the hard shoulder.
  • labor: Committed to Bury jail for 6 weeks hard labor.

Used with adjective complement

  • try: I will try harder to be less, well crap.
  • work: Dancers in the Company have always worked phenomenally hard.
  • fight: In 1997 a group calling themselves ' The Friends of Ogmore ' fought hard with petitions protesting for the reopening of the camp.
  • concentrate: In fact we've concentrated really hard on making them really good, in that sense.
  • hit: As corporate profits come under increasing pressure from the developing crisis, US capitalists are likely to hit back hard.
  • seem: When one loves one's Art no service seems too hard.

Browse dictionary entries near hard

  1. ‹ harbour
  2. ‹ harborage
  3. ‹ harbor seal
  4. ‹ harbor master
  5. ‹ harbor
  6. ‹ harbinger
  7. ‹ Harbin
  8. ‹ harassment
  9. ‹ harass
  10. ‹ Harare
  1. hard and fast ›
  2. hard-ass ›
  3. hard-bitten ›
  4. hard-boiled ›
  5. hard bop ›
  6. hard-bound ›
  7. hard case ›
  8. hard coal ›
  9. hard copy ›
  10. hard core ›