hard
UK /hɑːd/ · US /hɑɹd/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms harder hardest hards harding harded
- adjective (of material or fluid) Solid and firm.
- adjective Resistant to pressure; difficult to break, cut, or penetrate. “This bread is so stale and hard, I can barely cut it.”
- adjective (of drink or drugs) Strong.
- adjective (of a normally nonalcoholic drink) Containing alcohol. “hard cider, hard lemonade, hard seltzer, hard soda”
- adjective (wine) Very acidic or tannic.
- adjective (of water) High in dissolved chemical salts, especially those of calcium.
- adjective (physics, of a ferromagnetic material) Having the capability of being a permanent magnet by being a material with high magnetic coercivity (compare soft).
- adjective (physics, of electromagnetic radiation) Having a high energy (high frequency; short wavelength). “hard X-rays”
- adverb (manner) With much force or effort. “He hit the puck hard up the ice.”
- adverb (manner) With difficulty. “His degree was hard earned.”
- adverb (obsolete) So as to raise difficulties.
- adverb (manner) Compactly. “The lake had finally frozen hard.”
- adverb (now archaic) Near, close. “At the intersection, bear hard left.”
- noun (countable, nautical) A firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
- noun (countable, motor racing) A tyre whose compound is softer than superhards, and harder than mediums.
- noun (uncountable, drugs, slang) Crack cocaine.
- noun (uncountable, slang) Hard labor. “The prisoners were sentenced to three years' hard.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To make hard, harden.
- proper noun A surname.
- adjective (mnemonic) An acronym for remembering desirable characteristics for goal-setting: heartfelt, animated, required, difficult.
Synonyms
resistant solid stony strong confusing difficult puzzling tough tricky arduous challenging nasty sticky effortful rough rocky thistly uneath unsimple intolerable knockout severe backbreaking grueling gruelling heavy laborious operose punishing toilsome
Antonyms
soft low-alcohol alcohol-free non-alcoholic easy simple straightforward trite bearable flaccid cushiony flexible
Etymology
From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús, from *kret- (“strong, powerful”).
Cognate with Yola hard (“hard”), West Frisian hurd (“hard”), Alemannic German hert (“hard”), Bavarian hoat (“hard”), Central Franconian haat (“hard”), Dutch hard (“hard”), German hart (“hard”), Luxembourgish haart (“hard”), Danish and Swedish hård (“hard”), Faroese and Icelandic harður (“hard”), Norwegian Bokmål hard (“hard”), Norwegian Nynorsk hard, hard’u (“hard”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌿𐍃 (hardus, “hard”), Ancient Greek κρατύς (kratús, “strong, mighty”), Sanskrit क्रतु (krátu, “power, might, ability”), Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬙𐬎 (xratu).
From Middle English harden, herden, from Old English heardian (“to become hard”) and hierdan (“to make hard”), from Proto-West Germanic *hardēn and *hardijan, from Proto-Germanic *hardijaną.
Cognate with Dutch harden (“to harden”), German härten (“to harden”), Danish hærde (“to harden; to temper”), Icelandic herða (“to harden”), Norwegian Bokmål herde (“to harden; to toughen”), Norwegian Nynorsk herda (“to make hard, temper; harden”), Swedish härda (“harden, temper”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gahardjan), *𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (*hardjan, “to harden”).
* From Old English and Norman derivatives of Old French hardi (“tough, brave, hardy”). There are several Germanic variants of this origin, such as Swedish hård, Dutch hard, etc., all from Proto-Germanic *harduz.
* English topographical surname for farmers living on hard ground, from hard. This also appeared as the surname Hardacre.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; --applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.
- adjective Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem.
- adverb With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly.
- adverb With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard.
Etymology [OE. heard, AS. heard; akin to OS. & D. heard, G. hart, OHG. harti, Icel. har, Dan. haard, Sw. hård, Goth. hardus, Gr.,, strength, and also to E. -ard, as in coward, drunkard, -crat, -cracy in autocrat, democracy; cf. Skr. kratu strength, to do, make. Gf.Hardy.]
Etymology [OE. harde, AS. hearde.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details