hard definition

English hard definition

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 German hart, Swedish hård, Ancient Greek κρατύς (kratús), Sanskrit क्रतु (krátu), Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬙𐬎‎ (xratu).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: häd, IPA^(key): /hɑːd/
• (General American) enPR: härd, IPA^(key): /hɑɹd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)d

Adjective

hard (comparative harder, superlative hardest)

1. (of material or fluid) Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
   1. Resistant to pressure.

      This bread is so stale and hard, I can barely cut it.

   2. (of drink or drugs) Strong.
   3. (of a normally nonalcoholic drink) Containing alcohol.

      hard cider, hard lemonade, hard seltzer, hard soda

   4. (of water) High in dissolved chemical salts, especially those of calcium.
   5. (physics, of a ferromagnetic material) Having the capability of being a permanent magnet by being a material with high magnetic coercivity (compare soft).
   6. (photography, of light) Made up of parallel rays, producing clearly defined shadows.

   • Strong definition

     Capable of producing great physical force. (1 of 17 strong definitions)

   • Alcohol definition

     Any of a class of organic compounds (such as ethanol) containing a hydroxyl functional group (-OH). (1 of 4 alcohol definitions)

   • Dissolve definition

     To terminate a union of multiple members actively, as by disbanding. (1 of 13 dissolve definitions)

   • Salt definition

     A common substance, chemically consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl), used extensively as a condiment and preservative. (1 of 11 salt definitions)

   • Calcium definition

     The chemical element (Symbol Ca), with an atomic number 20. It is a soft, silvery-white alkaline earth metal which occurs naturally as carbonate in limestone and as silicate in many rocks. (1 of 2 calcium definitions)

   • Physics definition

     The branch of science concerned with the study of the properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy. (1 of 2 physics definitions)

   • Ferromagnetic definition

     of a material, such as iron or nickel, that is easily magnetized

   • Coercivity definition

     The quality of being coercive (1 of 2 coercivity definitions)

   • Soft definition

     Easily giving way under pressure. (1 of 25 soft definitions)

   • Photography definition

     The art and technology of producing images on photosensitive surfaces, and its digital counterpart. (1 of 2 photography definitions)
2. (personal or social) Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
   1. Difficult or requiring a lot of effort to do, understand, experience, or deal with.

      a hard problem;  a hard question;  a hard topic

      • 1988, An Oracle, Edmund White

        Ray found it hard to imagine having accumulated so many mannerisms before the dawn of sex, of the sexual need to please, of the staginess sex encourages or the tightly capped wells of poisoned sexual desire the disappointed must stand guard over.

      • 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:

        The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile.

   2. Demanding a lot of effort to endure.

      a hard life

   3. Severe, harsh, unfriendly, brutal.

      a hard master;  a hard heart;  hard words;  a hard character

      The senator asked the party chief to put the hard word on his potential rivals.

      • 1730, Henry Fielding, Rape upon Rape, Act 4, Scene 7:

        Leave off fornicating; leave the girls to the boys, and stand to thy bottle; it is a virtue becoming our years; and don’t be too hard on a wild honest young rake.

   4. (dated) Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
      • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:

        The stag was too hard for the horse.

      • 2021 March 23, Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 24. Tuesday, March 12. [2021.] [Julian calendar]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, OCLC 1056445272:

        a power which will be always too hard for them

   5. (military) Hardened; having unusually strong defences.

      a hard site

   • Effort definition

     The work involved in performing an activity; exertion. (1 of 3 effort definitions)

   • Severe definition

     Very bad or intense. (1 of 3 severe definitions)

   • Harsh definition

     Unpleasantly rough to the touch or other senses. (1 of 2 harsh definitions)

   • Unfriendly definition

     Not friendly; hostile; mean. (1 of 2 unfriendly definitions)

   • Brutal definition

     Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel (1 of 5 brutal definitions)

   • Julian Calendar definition

     The calendar which was used in the western world before the present-day Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar differed in having all multiple-of-4 years as leap years.

   • Military definition

     Characteristic of members of the armed forces. (1 of 4 military definitions)
3. Unquestionable, unequivocal.

   hard evidence;  a hard requirement

   • 1796, The History of the Trial of Warren Hastings‎^[1]:

     […] for, unless supported by hard facts, abusive words would recoil on him who used them, and would pass like empty air over the head of an innocent man.

   • 1962, The Selling Power of a Woman‎^[2]:

     Here are a few techniques to turn a hard "no" into an easy "yes"!

   • 2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian:

     Unsurprisingly for a man who went into mourning for three years after the death in 1994 of his own father, the legendary leader Kim Il-sung, and who in the first 30 years of his political career made no public statements, even to his own people, Kim's career is riddled with claims, counter claims, speculation, and contradiction. There are few hard facts about his birth and early years.

   • Unquestionable definition

     undeniable, obvious

   • Unequivocal definition

     Unambiguous; without equivocation or ambiguity; singularly clear, unmistakable, or unquestionable (1 of 2 unequivocal definitions)
4. (of a road intersection) Having a comparatively larger or a ninety-degree angle.

   At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the hard left.

5. (slang, vulgar, of a male) Sexually aroused; erect.

   I got so hard watching two hot guys wrestle each other on the beach.

   • Male definition

     Belonging to the sex which typically produces sperm, or to the gender which is typically associated with it. (1 of 5 male definitions)

   • Aroused definition

     simple past tense and past participle of arouse

   • Erect definition

     Upright; vertical or reaching broadly upwards. (1 of 7 erect definitions)
6. (bodybuilding) Having muscles that are tightened as a result of intense, regular exercise.

   • Bodybuilding definition

     A sport in which the aesthetics of muscular development is the basis for competition. (1 of 2 bodybuilding definitions)

   • Muscle definition

     A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement. (1 of 5 muscle definitions)

   • Tight definition

     Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open. (1 of 20 tight definitions)

   • Exercise definition

     Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability. (1 of 5 exercise definitions)
7. (phonetics, not comparable)
   1. Plosive.

      There is a hard c in "clock" and a soft c in "centre".

   2. Unvoiced

      Hard k, t, s, ch, as distinguished from soft, g, d, z, j.

   3. Velarized or plain, rather than palatalized

      The letter ж (ž) in Russian is always hard.

   • Phonetics definition

     The study of the physical sounds of human speech, concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds (phones), and the processes of their physiological production, auditory reception, and neurophysiological perception, and their representation by written symbols.

   • Plosive definition

     Sound produced from opening a previously closed oral passage.

   • Unvoiced definition

     Not spoken or expressed. (1 of 4 unvoiced definitions)

   • Velarized definition

     simple past tense and past participle of velarize

   • Plain definition

     Flat, level. (1 of 15 plain definitions)

   • Palatalized definition

     Alternative form of palatalised

   • Ж definition

     Lowercase Cyrillic letter zhe.
8. (art) Having a severe property; presenting a barrier to enjoyment.
   1. Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
   2. Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in colour or shading.

   • Art definition

     The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the senses and emotions, usually specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium. (1 of 10 art definitions)

   • Property definition

     Something that is owned. (1 of 9 property definitions)

   • Barrier definition

     A structure that bars passage. (1 of 7 barrier definitions)

   • Rigid definition

     Stiff, rather than flexible. (1 of 4 rigid definitions)

   • Distribution definition

     An act of distributing or state of being distributed. (1 of 17 distribution definitions)
9. (not comparable)
   1. In a physical form, not digital.

      a soft or hard copy ; a digital or hard archive

   2. Using a manual or physical process, not by means of a software command.

      a hard reboot or reset

   • Digital definition

     Having to do with digits (fingers or toes); performed with a finger. (1 of 3 digital definitions)
10. (politics) Far, extreme.

    hard right, hard left

    • Politics definition

      A methodology and activities associated with running a government, an organization, or a movement. (1 of 5 politics definitions)

    • Far definition

      fern

    • Extreme definition

      Of a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost. (1 of 6 extreme definitions)
11. Of silk: not having had the natural gum boiled off.

    • Silk definition

      A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider). (1 of 7 silk definitions)

    • Gum definition

      The flesh around the teeth.

Synonyms

• (resistant to pressure): resistant, solid, stony, see also Thesaurus:hard
• (requiring a lot of effort to do or understand): confusing, difficult, puzzling, tough, tricky
• (requiring a lot of effort to endure): difficult, intolerable, tough, unbearable
• (severe): harsh, hostile, severe, strict, tough, unfriendly
• (unquestionable): incontrovertible, indubitable, unambiguous, unequivocal, unquestionable
• (of drink): strong
• See also Thesaurus:difficult

Antonyms

• (resistant to pressure): soft
• (requiring a lot of effort to do or understand): easy, simple, straightforward, trite
• (requiring a lot of effort to endure): bearable, easy
• (severe): agreeable, amiable, approachable, friendly, nice, pleasant
• (unquestionable): controvertible, doubtful, ambiguous, equivocal, questionable
• (of drink):
  • (low in alcohol): low-alcohol
  • (non-alcoholic): alcohol-free, soft, non-alcoholic
• (of roads): soft
• (sexually aroused): soft, flaccid
• (phonetics, all senses): soft

Derived terms

Related terms

• hardpeer
• hardy

Descendants

• → Finnish: haarti

Translations

Adverb

hard (comparative harder, superlative hardest)

1. (manner) With much force or effort.

   He hit the puck hard up the ice.

   They worked hard all week.

   At the intersection, bear hard left.

   The recession hit them especially hard.

   Think hard about your choices.

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Wife of Bath's Tale”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228732415:

     prayed so hard for mercy from the prince

   • c. 1610-11, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act III, Scene i^[3]:

     […] My father / Is hard at study. Pray now, rest yourself;

   • 1985, Michael A. Arbib, In search of the person: philosophical explorations in cognitive science, page 119:

     What, then, of the voluntarist's sense that one often has to think long and hard before making agonizing choices?

2. (manner) With difficulty.

   His degree was hard earned.

3. (obsolete) So as to raise difficulties.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A. Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], OCLC 152706203:

     The question is hard set.

4. (manner) Compactly.

   The lake had finally frozen hard.

5. (now archaic) Near, close.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Acts 18:7:

     […] whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

   • 1999, George RR Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam 2011, page 418:

     It was another long day's march before they glimpsed the towers of Harrenhal in the distance, hard beside the blue waters of the lake.

   • Near definition

     Physically close. (1 of 11 near definitions)

   • Close definition

     To remove a gap.

     1. To obstruct (an opening).
     2. To move so that an opening is closed. (1 of 13 close definitions)

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

hard (countable and uncountable, plural hards)

1. (countable, nautical) A firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
   • 1952, Edward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu Baron Montagu, Beaulieu, the Abbey, Palace House, and Buckler's Hard (page 36)

     The Monastery's ironworks at Sowley were renowned for centuries but declined with the passing of the 'wooden walls' at Buckler's Hard — a great number of these ships having been built with timber from the Beaulieu Woods […]

   • Nautical definition

     Relating to or involving ships or shipping or navigation or seamen.

   • Beach definition

     The shore of a body of water, especially when sandy or pebbly. (1 of 4 beach definitions)

   • Slope definition

     An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward. (1 of 6 slope definitions)
2. (countable, motorsports) A tyre whose compound is softer than superhards, and harder than mediums.

   • Superhard definition

     Having a very high hardness. (1 of 2 superhard definitions)

   • Medium definition

     The material of the surrounding environment, e.g. solid, liquid, gas, vacuum, or a specific substance such as a solvent. (1 of 15 medium definitions)
3. (uncountable, drugs, slang) Crack cocaine.

   • Crack Cocaine definition

     A mixture of baking soda and cocaine in solid form that is smoked in a pipe as a narcotic. (1 of 2 crack cocaine definitions)
4. (uncountable, slang) Hard labor.

   The prisoners were sentenced to three years' hard.

   • Hard Labor definition

     Forced servitude in the form of physically difficult labor, usually as a penal punishment.

Anagrams

• Dhar

Dutch hard definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦɑrt/

• hard

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hard
• Rhymes: -ɑrt
• Homophone: hart

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch hart, from Old Dutch hart, from Proto-Germanic *harduz.

Adjective

hard (comparative harder, superlative hardst)

1. hard, strong

   Antonym: zacht

   • Zacht definition

     soft (1 of 4 zacht definitions)
2. (economics, of a currency) strong, not easily devalued

   • Economics definition

     The study of resource allocation, distribution and consumption; of capital and investment; and of management of the factors of production.

   • Devalued definition

     simple past tense and past participle of devalue
3. unquestionable, uncontestable

   harde feiten

   hard facts

   • Uncontestable definition

     Not contestable.
4. heartless, unsympathetic (of a person)

   Antonym: zacht

   • Heartless definition

     Without courage; fearful, cowardly. (1 of 4 heartless definitions)

   • Unsympathetic definition

     Not sympathetic.
5. hard, difficult

   een harde strijd

   a difficult fight

   • Difficult definition

     Hard, not easy, requiring much effort. (1 of 3 difficult definitions)
6. harsh, heavy

   harde straffen

   harsh punishments

   een harde regen

   heavy rain

   • Heavy definition

     Having great weight. (1 of 21 heavy definitions)
7. hard, rich in calcium (of water)

   Antonym: zacht

8. loud (of sound)

   Synonym: luid

   Antonym: zacht

   • Loud definition

     Of great intensity. (1 of 5 loud definitions)

   • Luid definition

     loud

Inflection

Derived terms

• hardheid
• hardlopen

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adverb

hard

1. (speed) fast, swiftly

   Ik heb een bekeuring gekregen omdat ik te hard heb gereden.

   I got a ticket because I drove too fast.

   • Fast definition

     Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable. (1 of 13 fast definitions)

   • Swiftly definition

     In a swift manner; quickly; with quick motion or velocity; fleetly.
2. very

   • Very definition

     True, real, actual. (1 of 3 very definitions)
3. loudly

   • Loudly definition

     In a loud manner; at a high volume.

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

hard

1. first-person singular present indicative of harden

   • First Person definition

     Forms of pronouns or verbs used for the speaker or writer of the sentence in which they occur. (1 of 2 first person definitions)

   • Singular definition

     Being only one of a larger population. (1 of 10 singular definitions)

   • Present Tense definition

     A grammatical tense whose principal function is to locate a situation or event in the present time.

   • Indicative Mood definition

     The mood of a verb used in ordinary factual or objective statements.

   • Harden definition

     To become hard (tough, resistant to pressure). (1 of 6 harden definitions)
2. imperative of harden

   • Imperative Mood definition

     The grammatical mood expressing a command.

French hard definition

Etymology

Borrowed from English hard.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /aʁd/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

hard (plural hards)

1. (of pornography) hardcore

   Des photos hards.

   Hardcore pictures.

   • Hardcore definition

     Having an extreme dedication to a certain activity; diehard. (1 of 6 hardcore definitions)

Noun

hard m (plural hards)

1. hardcore pornography

   Le Journal du hard est une émission de Canal + dédiée au cinéma pornographique.

   Le Journal du hard ("Hard Porn News") is a broadcast by Canal+ dedicated to pornographic films.

   • Pornography definition

     The explicit literary or visual depiction of sexual subject matter; any display of material of an erotic nature. (1 of 3 pornography definitions)
2. hard rock

   Elle adore le hard et le headbang.

   She just loves hard rock and headbanging.

   • 2004, Thomas Mansier, Identité du rock et presse spécialisée. Évolution d'une culture et de son discours critique dans les magazines français des années 90, page 98.

     Le hard semble ainsi capable de remplir le contrat originel du rock.

     As such, hard rock seems capable of fulfilling the original purpose of rock.

   • 2014, Christian Eudeline, "Uriah Heep. Look At Yourself", in Du hard rock au métal. Les 100 albums cultes, Gründ (publ.).

     Au croisement du hard et du prog, Uriah Heep […] enregistre là son meilleur disque, pourtant, leurs paroles pseudo-lyriques et leurs envolées déplaisaient.

     At the crossroads of hard rock and prog rock, Uriah Heep […] records its best disc there; however, their pseudo-lyrical texts and their take-offs were disliked.

   • Hard Rock definition

     A rock music genre marked by a heavy regular beat, high amplification, and usually frenzied performances.

Irish hard definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [haːɾˠd̪ˠ]

Adjective

hard

1. h-prothesized form of ard

   • H-Prothesis definition

     The prothesis of the sound /h/ to words beginning with a vowel, especially as found in Celtic languages such as Irish and Welsh, and in dialects of English, especially those that pronounce h weakly.

   • Ard definition

     A simple plough consisting of a spike dragged through the soil.

Norwegian Bokmål hard definition

Etymology

From Old Norse harðr, from Proto-Germanic *harduz.

Adjective

hard (neuter singular hardt, definite singular and plural harde, comparative hardere, indefinite superlative hardest, definite superlative hardeste)

1. hard (not soft)

   • Hard definition

     Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.

     1. Resistant to pressure. (1 of 29 hard definitions)
2. hard, stern, severe

   • Stern definition

     Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner. (1 of 2 stern definitions)
3. hardy

   • Hardy definition

     Having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships. (1 of 4 hardy definitions)

Derived terms

• beinhard
• hardhet
• hardkokt
• hardtslående

Related terms

• forherde
• herde

References

• “hard” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk hard definition

Etymology

From Old Norse harðr, from Proto-Germanic *harduz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɑːr/ (example of pronunciation)
• Homophone: har

Adjective

hard (masculine and feminine hard, neuter hardt, definite singular and plural harde, comparative hardare, indefinite superlative hardast, definite superlative hardaste)

1. hard
2. hard, stern, severe
3. hardy

Derived terms

• beinhard
• hardkokt

References

• “hard” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Saxon hard definition

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *harduz.

Adjective

hard (comparative hardiro, superlative hardist)

1. hard

Declension

Derived terms

• hardī

Descendants

• Low German: hard, hart (inflected hart-)

Spanish hard definition

Etymology

From English hard.

Adjective

hard (invariable)

1. hard, heavy, hardcore