hard

/hɑrd/

/hɑd/

Other forms: harder; hardest; hards

Hard is the opposite of "easy." If you're just beginning an exercise routine, don't push yourself too hard in the beginning, to avoid injury.

Hard can mean "difficult," but it can also mean "rigid." A hard surface is one that doesn’t give way, like stone. If things are tough for you, you might tell someone you’re having a hard day. If someone gives you hard liquor, watch out — that’s the strong stuff. If you’re a teacher, you want to make your examinations hard enough to be challenging, but not impossible. If you’re stubborn, people might call you hardheaded.

Definitions of hard
  1. adjective
    resisting weight or pressure
    Synonyms:
    adamantine
    having the hardness of a diamond
    al dente
    cooked so as to be firm when eaten
    corneous, hornlike, horny
    made of horn (or of a substance resembling horn)
    firm, solid
    not soft or yielding to pressure
    granitelike, granitic, rocklike, stony
    hard as granite
    hardened, set
    converted to solid form (as concrete)
    woody
    made hard like wood as the result of the deposition of lignin in the cell walls
    petrous, stonelike
    (of bone especially the temporal bone) resembling stone in hardness
    semihard
    somewhat hard
    steely
    resembling steel in hardness
    unyielding
    resistant to physical force or pressure
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    soft
    yielding readily to pressure or weight
    brushed, fleecy, napped
    (of fabrics) having soft nap produced by brushing
    cheeselike
    having the consistency of cheese
    compressible, squeezable
    capable of being easily compressed
    cottony
    resembling cotton; as soft as cotton
    cushioned, cushiony, padded
    softened by the addition of cushions or padding
    demulcent, emollient, salving, softening
    having a softening or soothing effect especially to the skin
    downlike, downy, flossy, fluffy
    like down or as soft as down
    flaccid
    drooping without elasticity; wanting in stiffness
    flocculent, woolly, wooly
    having a fluffy character or appearance
    yielding
    lacking stiffness and giving way to pressure
    mushy
    having the consistency of mush
    overstuffed
    upholstered thickly and deeply
    semisoft, softish
    somewhat soft
    spongelike, spongy, squashy, squishy
    easily squashed; resembling a sponge in having soft porous texture and compressibility
    velvet, velvety
    resembling velvet in having a smooth soft surface
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    dried out
    “hard dry rolls left over from the day before”
    Synonyms:
    stale
    lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
  3. adverb
    into a solid condition
    “concrete that sets hard within a few hours”
  4. adjective
    not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
    “why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?”
    synonyms: difficult
    demanding
    requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
    ambitious, challenging
    requiring full use of your abilities or resources
    arduous
    difficult to accomplish; demanding considerable mental effort and skill
    awkward, embarrassing, sticky, unenviable
    hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
    baffling, elusive, knotty, problematic, problematical, tough
    making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
    catchy, tricky
    having concealed difficulty
    delicate, ticklish, touchy
    difficult to handle; requiring great tact
    fractious
    unpredictably difficult in operation; likely to be troublesome
    hard-fought
    requiring great effort
    herculean
    extremely difficult; requiring the strength of a Hercules
    nasty, tight
    exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent
    rocky, rough
    full of hardship or trials
    rugged, tough
    very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution
    serious
    requiring effort or concentration; complex and not easy to answer or solve
    tall
    impressively difficult
    thorny
    bristling with perplexities
    troublesome
    difficult to deal with
    trying
    hard to endure
    vexed
    causing difficulty in finding an answer or solution; much disputed
    effortful
    requiring great physical effort
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    easy
    posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
    undemanding
    requiring little if any patience or effort or skill
    casual, effortless
    not showing effort or strain
    clean
    without difficulties or problems
    cushy, easygoing, soft
    not burdensome or demanding; borne or done easily and without hardship
    elementary, simple, uncomplicated, unproblematic
    easy and not involved or complicated
    hands-down
    achieved without great effort
    painless
    requiring little hard work or exertion
    simplified
    made easy or uncomplicated
    smooth
    lacking obstructions or difficulties
    user-friendly
    easy to use
    effortless
    requiring or apparently requiring no effort
    soft
    compassionate and kind; conciliatory
    simple
    having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
    show more antonyms...
  5. adjective
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort
    “hard labor”
    synonyms: arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome
    effortful
    requiring great physical effort
  6. adjective
    unfortunate or hard to bear
    “had hard luck”
    synonyms: tough
    bad
    having undesirable or negative qualities
  7. adverb
    with firmness
    “held hard to the railing”
    synonyms: firmly
  8. adverb
    with effort or force or vigor
    “the team played hard”
    “worked hard all day”
    “pressed hard on the lever”
    “hit the ball hard”
    “slammed the door hard”
  9. adverb
    with pain or distress or bitterness
    “he took the rejection very hard”
  10. adverb
    causing great damage or hardship
    “industries hit hard by the depression”
    synonyms: severely
  11. adverb
    slowly and with difficulty
    “prejudices die hard”
  12. adjective
    dispassionate
    “took a hard look”
    “a hard bargainer”
    Synonyms:
    difficult
    not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
    calculating, calculative, conniving, scheming, shrewd
    (used of persons) good at tricking people to get something
    case-hardened, hard-boiled, hardened
    used of persons; emotionally hardened
    steely
    resembling steel as in hardness
    merciless, unmerciful
    having or showing no mercy
    insensitive
    deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive
    tough
    not given to gentleness or sentimentality
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    soft
    compassionate and kind; conciliatory
    mellow
    having attained to kindliness or gentleness through age and experience
    tender
    given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
    warmhearted
    marked by warmth of feeling like kindness and sympathy and generosity
    show more antonyms...
  13. adverb
    earnestly or intently
    “thought hard about it”
    “stared hard at the accused”
  14. adjective
    very strong or vigorous
    “a hard left to the chin”
    synonyms: knockout, severe
    strong
    having strength or power greater than average or expected
  15. adverb
    to the full extent possible; all the way
    “hard alee”
    “the ship went hard astern”
    “swung the wheel hard left”
  16. adjective
    given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors
    synonyms: heavy, intemperate
    indulgent
    characterized by or given to yielding to the wishes of someone
  17. adverb
    indulging excessively
    synonyms: heavily, intemperately
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    lightly
    indulging with temperance
  18. adjective
    produced without vibration of the vocal cords
    synonyms: surd, unvoiced, voiceless
    whispered
    spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    soft, sonant, voiced
    produced with vibration of the vocal cords
  19. adjective
    (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward or touching the velum
    “Russian distinguished between hard consonants and palatalized or soft consonants”
    Synonyms:
    velar
    produced with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate (as `k' in `cat' and `g' in `gun' and `ng' in `sing')
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    soft
    (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh')
    continuant, fricative, sibilant, spirant, strident
    of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then')
    palatal, palatalised, palatalized
    produced with the front of the tongue near or touching the hard palate (as `y') or with the blade of the tongue near the hard palate (as `ch' in `chin' or `j' in `gin')
    show more antonyms...
  20. adjective
    (of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source
    synonyms: concentrated
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    diffuse, diffused, soft
    (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
  21. adjective
    being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content
    “hard liquor”
    synonyms: strong
    alcoholic
    characteristic of or containing alcohol
  22. adverb
    very near or close in space or time
    “it stands hard by the railroad tracks”
    “they were hard on his heels”
    “a strike followed hard upon the plant's opening”
Pronunciation
US

/hɑrd/
UK

/hɑd/
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Word Family

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