English Explanatory Dictionary

hard

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Solid and firm.
  2. Resistant to pressure; difficult to break, cut, or penetrate.
  3. Strong.
  4. Containing alcohol.
  5. Very acidic or tannic.
  6. High in dissolved chemical salts, especially those of calcium.
  7. Having the capability of being a permanent magnet by being a material with high magnetic coercivity (compare soft).
  8. Having a high energy (high frequency; short wavelength).
  9. Made up of parallel rays, producing clearly defined shadows.
  10. Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  11. Difficult or requiring a lot of effort to do, understand, experience, or deal with.
  12. Demanding a lot of effort to endure.
adv
  1. With much force or effort.
  2. With difficulty.
  3. So as to raise difficulties.
  4. Compactly.
  5. Near, close.
noun
  1. A firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
  2. A tyre whose compound is softer than superhards, and harder than mediums.
  3. Crack cocaine.
  4. Hard labor.
verb
  1. To make hard, harden.
name
  1. A surname.
adj
  1. An acronym for remembering desirable characteristics for goal-setting: heartfelt, animated, required, difficult.

Pronunciation

häd /hɑːd/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-hard.wav härd /hɑɹd/ en-us-hard.ogg

Word forms

hard harder more hard hardest most hard hards harding harded

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”). Cognates 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, Swedish hård (“hard”), Faroese, 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).

Synonyms

adamantine concrete firm granitic grim hard inflexible lithic resistant rigid robust solid stiff stout sturdy stony tough unbending unyielding strong confusing difficult puzzling tricky arduous challenging nasty effortful rough rocky thistly uneath unsimple intolerable unbearable harsh hostile severe strict unfriendly brutal callous cold cold-eyed cruel dour flint-hearted forbidding frosty hard-boiled hardened hardhearted heartless humorless icy iron-hearted insensate insensitive marble-hearted rigorous

Antonyms

cushiony flexible soft spongy moldable tender yielding low-alcohol alcohol-free non-alcoholic easy simple straightforward trite bearable flaccid

Related words

hardpeer hardy hard as nails DUMB FAST SMART SMARTER

Derived words

an old dog for a hard road between a rock and a hard place blow-hard bone hard bone-hard cold hard cash die-hard do the hard yards drive a hard bargain dumb hard fall on hard times find out the hard way forhard give someone a hard time go hard go hard or go home go hard with someone hard act to follow hard-and-fast hard and fast hard-arse hard as a rock hard as brazil hard as Chinese algebra hard as iron hard ask hard as nails hard-ass hard-assed hard-assery hard as the nether millstone hard atheism hard atheist hard at work hardback hardbacked hardbag hardbake hardball hardbeam hard-bill hard-block hardboard hardbody hard-boil hard-boiled hard bop hardbottom hardbound hard bread hard Brexit hard candy hard case hard cases make bad law hard cash hard charger hard-charging hard cheese hard cider hard clam

Translations

Southern Altai: уур Arabic: صَعْب Arabic: صعب Arabic: وَاعْر Armenian: բարդ Armenian: դժվար Bashkir: ауыр Bashkir: ҡыйын Bulgarian: труден Catalan: complicat Catalan: difícil Cebuano: lisod Chamicuro: yeewa Cherokee: ᏍᏓᏯ Chinese Cantonese: 難 /难 Chinese Mandarin: 難 /难 Chinese Mandarin: 困難 /困难 Czech: těžký Czech: obtížný Czech: krušný Danish: vanskelig Dutch: moeilijk Dutch: zwaar Egyptian: q-qs-n:nDs Esperanto: malfacila Estonian: kõva Faroese: torførur Faroese: strævin Faroese: ringur Finnish: vaikea Finnish: kova Finnish: hankala French: dur French: difficile German: schwierig German: hart German: schwer German: herausfordernd Gothic: 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌿𐍃 Greek: δύσκολος Ancient Greek: χαλεπός Ancient Greek: ἐργώδης Haitian Creole: difisil Hindi: कठिन Hindi: मुश्किल Hindi: दूभर Hungarian: nehéz Icelandic: erfiður Ido: desfacila Ilocano: narigat Indonesian: sulit Indonesian: sukar Indonesian: susah Interlingua: difficile Irish: doiligh Italian: duro Italian: difficile Italian: intenso Japanese: 難しい Japanese: 困難な Korean: 어렵다 Kyrgyz: оор Latin: difficilis Latvian: grūts Latvian: smags Limburgish: helle
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