HARD DEFINITIONS - 17 definitions found
hard adj 1: not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?" [syn: difficult, hard] [ant: easy] 2: dispassionate; "took a hard look"; "a hard bargainer"; [ant: soft] 3: resisting weight or pressure [ant: soft] 4: very strong or vigorous; "strong winds"; "a hard left to the chin"; "a knockout punch"; "a severe blow" [syn: hard, knockout, severe] 5: characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort; "worked their arduous way up the mining valley"; "a grueling campaign"; "hard labor"; "heavy work"; "heavy going"; "spent many laborious hours on the project"; "set a punishing pace" [syn: arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome] 6: produced without vibration of the vocal cords; "unvoiced consonants such as `p' and `k' and `s'" [syn: unvoiced, voiceless, surd, hard] [ant: soft, sonant, voiced] 7: (of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source [syn: hard, concentrated] [ant: diffuse, diffused, soft] 8: (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" [ant: soft] 9: given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors; "a hard drinker" [syn: intemperate, hard, heavy] 10: being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content; "hard liquor" [syn: hard, strong] 11: unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough break" [syn: hard, tough] 12: dried out; "hard dry rolls left over from the day before" adv 1: 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" 2: with firmness; "held hard to the railing" [syn: hard, firmly] 3: earnestly or intently; "thought hard about it"; "stared hard at the accused" 4: causing great damage or hardship; "industries hit hard by the depression"; "she was severely affected by the bank's failure" [syn: hard, severely] 5: slowly and with difficulty; "prejudices die hard" 6: indulging excessively; "he drank heavily" [syn: heavily, intemperately, hard] [ant: lightly] 7: into a solid condition; "concrete that sets hard within a few hours" 8: 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" 9: with pain or distress or bitterness; "he took the rejection very hard" 10: to the full extent possible; all the way; "hard alee"; "the ship went hard astern"; "swung the wheel hard left" hard - begol hard hɑ:d See: GIVE A HARD TIME, GO HARD WITH, SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) hard I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English heard; akin to Old High German hart hard, Greek kratos strength Date: before 12th century 1. a. not easily penetrated ; not easily yielding to pressure b. of cheese not capable of being spread ; very firm 2. a. of liquor (1) having a harsh or acid taste (2) strongly alcoholic b. characterized by the presence of salts (as of calcium or magnesium) that prevent lathering with soap <hard water> 3. a. of or relating to radiation of relatively high penetrating power ; having high energy <hard X rays> b. having or producing relatively great photographic contrast <a hard negative> 4. a. metallic as distinct from paper <hard money> b. of currency convertible into gold ; stable in value c. usable as currency <paid in hard cash> d. of currency readily acceptable in international trade e. being high and firm <hard prices> 5. a. firmly and closely twisted <hard yarns> b. having a smooth close napless finish <a hard worsted> 6. a. physically fit <in good hard condition> b. resistant to stress or disease c. free of weakness or defects 7. a. (1) firm, definite <reached a hard agreement> (2) not speculative or conjectural ; factual <hard evidence> (3) important or informative rather than sensational or entertaining <hard news> b. close, searching <gave a hard look> c. free from sentimentality or illusion ; realistic <good hard sense> d. lacking in responsiveness ; obdurate, unfeeling <a hard heart> 8. a. (1) difficult to bear or endure <hard luck> <hard times> (2) oppressive, inequitable <sales taxes are hard on the poor> <a hard restriction> b. (1) lacking consideration, compassion, or gentleness ; callous <a hard greedy landlord> (2) incorrigible, tough <a hard gang> c. (1) harsh, severe, or offensive in tendency or effect <said some hard things> (2) resentful <hard feelings> (3) strict, unrelenting <drives a hard bargain> d. inclement <hard winter> e. (1) intense in force, manner, or degree <hard blows> (2) demanding the exertion of energy ; calling for stamina and endurance <hard work> (3) performing or carrying on with great energy, intensity, or persistence <a hard worker> f. most unyielding or thoroughgoing <the hard political right> 9. a. characterized by sharp or harsh outline, rigid execution, and stiff drawing b. sharply defined ; stark <hard shadows> c. lacking in shading, delicacy, or resonance <hard singing tones> d. sounding as in arcing and geese respectively — used of c and g e. suggestive of toughness or insensitivity <hard eyes> 10. a. (1) difficult to accomplish or resolve ; troublesome <hard problems> <the true story was hard to come by> (2) difficult to comprehend or explain <a hard concept> b. having difficulty in doing something <hard of hearing> c. difficult to magnetize or demagnetize 11. being at once addictive and gravely detrimental to health <such hard drugs as heroin> 12. resistant to biodegradation <hard detergents> <hard pesticides such as DDT> 13. being, schooled in, or using the methods of the natural sciences and especially of the physical sciences <a hard scientist> 14. of money contributed (as by individuals or political action committees) directly to a particular candidate or campaign Synonyms: hard, difficult, arduous mean demanding great exertion or effort. hard implies the opposite of all that is easy <farming is hard work>. difficult implies the presence of obstacles to be surmounted or puzzles to be resolved and suggests the need of skill, patience, or courage <the difficult ascent of the main face of the mountain>. arduous stresses the need of laborious and persevering exertion <the arduous task of rebuilding>. II. adverb Date: before 12th century 1. a. with great or utmost effort or energy ; strenuously <were hard at work> <the children played hard> b. in a violent manner ; fiercely c. to the full extent — usually used in nautical directions <steer hard aport> d. to an immoderate degree <hitting the bottle hard> e. in a searching, close, or concentrated manner <stared hard at me> 2. a. in such a manner as to cause hardship, difficulty, or pain b. with rancor, bitterness, or grief <took the defeat hard> 3. in a firm manner ; tightly 4. to the point of hardness <frozen hard> 5. close in time or space <stands hard by the river> Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary hard (harder, hardest) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. Something that is hard is very firm and stiff to touch and is not easily bent, cut, or broken. He shuffled his feet on the hard wooden floor... Something cold and hard pressed into the back of his neck. ≠ soft ADJ • hardness He felt the hardness of the iron railing press against his spine. N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss 2. Something that is hard is very difficult to do or deal with. It's hard to tell what effect this latest move will have... Our traveller's behaviour on the journey is hard to explain... That's a very hard question. = difficult ≠ easy ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf, ADJ to-inf 3. If you work hard doing something, you are very active or work intensely, with a lot of effort. I'll work hard. I don't want to let him down... Am I trying too hard? ADV: ADV after v • Hard is also an adjective. I admired him as a true scientist and hard worker. ADJ: ADJ n 4. Hard work involves a lot of activity and effort. Coping with three babies is very hard work... Their work is hard and unglamorous, and most people would find it boring. ADJ 5. If you look, listen, or think hard, you do it carefully and with a great deal of attention. You had to listen hard to hear the old man breathe... ADV: ADV after v • Hard is also an adjective. It might be worth taking a long hard look at your frustrations and resentments. ADJ: usu ADJ n 6. If you strike or take hold of something hard, you strike or take hold of it with a lot of force. I kicked a dustbin very hard and broke my toe. ADV: ADV after v • Hard is also an adjective. He gave her a hard push which toppled her backwards into an armchair. ADJ: ADJ n 7. You can use hard to indicate that something happens intensely and for a long time. I've never seen Terry laugh so hard... It was snowing hard by then. ADV: ADV after v 8. If a person or their expression is hard, they show no kindness or sympathy. His father was a hard man... ≠ gentle ADJ: usu ADJ n 9. If you are hard on someone, you treat them severely or unkindly. Don't be so hard on him. ≠ soft ADJ: v-link ADJ on n • Hard is also an adverb. He said the security forces would continue to crack down hard on the protestors. ADV: ADV after v 10. If you say that something is hard on a person or thing, you mean it affects them in a way that is likely to cause them damage or suffering. The grey light was hard on the eyes... These last four years have been hard on them. ADJ: v-link ADJ on n 11. If you have a hard life or a hard period of time, your life or that period is difficult and unpleasant for you. It had been a hard life for her... Those were hard times. = tough ADJ • hardness In America, people don't normally admit to the hardness of life. N-UNCOUNT: N of n 12. Hard evidence or facts are definitely true and do not need to be questioned. There are probably fewer hard facts about the life of Henry Purcell than that of any other great composer since the Renaissance. ADJ: ADJ n 13. Hard water contains a lot of calcium compounds that stop soap making bubbles and sometimes appear as a deposit in kettles and baths. ≠ soft ADJ 14. Hard drugs are very strong illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine. ≠ soft ADJ: ADJ n 15. If you feel hard done by, you feel that you have not been treated fairly. (BRIT) The hall porter was feeling hard done by at having to extend his shift. PHRASE: v-link PHR 16. If you say that something is hard going, you mean it is difficult and requires a lot of effort. The talks had been hard going at the start. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 17. To be hard hit by something means to be affected very severely by it. California's been particularly hard hit by the recession. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 18. If someone plays hard to get, they pretend not to be interested in another person or in what someone is trying to persuade them to do. I wanted her and she was playing hard to get. PHRASE: V inflects 19. If someone is hard put to do something or, in British English if they are hard pushed to do something, they have great difficulty doing it. Mr Morton is undoubtedly cleverer than Mr Kirkby, but he will be hard put to match his popularity. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR to-inf 20. If you take something hard, you are very upset or depressed by it. Maybe I just took it too hard. PHRASE: V inflects English Explanatory Dictionary hard hɑ:d adj., adv., & n. --adj. 1 (of a substance, material, etc.) firm and solid; unyielding to pressure; not easily cut. 2 a difficult to understand or explain (a hard problem). b difficult to accomplish (a hard decision). c (foll. by to + infin.) not easy to (hard to believe; hard to please). 3 difficult to bear; entailing suffering (a hard life). 4 (of a person) unfeeling; severely critical. 5 (of a season or the weather) severe, harsh (a hard winter; a hard frost). 6 harsh or unpleasant to the senses (a hard voice; hard colours). 7 a strenuous, enthusiastic, intense (a hard worker; a hard fight). b severe, uncompromising (a hard blow; a hard bargain; hard words). c Polit. extreme; most radical (the hard right). 8 a (of liquor) strongly alcoholic. b (of drugs) potent and addictive. c (of radiation) highly penetrating. d (of pornography) highly suggestive and explicit. 9 (of water) containing mineral salts that make lathering difficult. 10 established; not disputable; reliable (hard facts; hard data). 11 Stock Exch. (of currency, prices, etc.) high; not likely to fall in value. 12 Phonet. (of a consonant) guttural (as c in cat, g in go). --adv. 1 strenuously, intensely, copiously; with one's full effort (try hard; look hard at; is raining hard; hard-working). 2 with difficulty or effort (hard-earned). 3 so as to be hard or firm (hard-baked; the jelly set hard). --n. Brit. 1 a sloping roadway across a foreshore. 2 sl. = hard labour (got two years hard). øbe hard on 1 be difficult for. 2 be severe in one's treatment or criticism of. 3 be unpleasant to (the senses). be hard put to it (usu. foll. by to + infin.) find it difficult. go hard with turn out to (a person's) disadvantage. hard and fast (of a rule or a distinction made) definite, unalterable, strict. hard at it colloq. busily working or occupied. hard-boiled 1 (of an egg) boiled until the white and the yolk are solid. 2 (of a person) tough, shrewd. hard by near; close by. a hard case 1 colloq. a an intractable person. b Austral. & NZ an amusing or eccentric person. 2 a case of hardship. hard cash negotiable coins and banknotes. hard coal anthracite. hard copy printed material produced by computer, usu. on paper, suitable for ordinary reading. hard core 1 an irreducible nucleus. 2 colloq. a the most active or committed members of a society etc. b a conservative or reactionary minority. 3 Brit. solid material, esp. rubble, forming the foundation of a road etc. hard-core adj. blatant, uncompromising, esp.: 1 (of pornography) explicit, obscene. 2 (of drug addiction) relating to 'hard' drugs, esp. heroin. hard disk Computing a large-capacity rigid usu. magnetic storage disk. hard-done-by harshly or unfairly treated. hard error Computing a permanent error. hard feelings feelings of resentment. hard hat colloq. 1 protective headgear worn on building-sites etc. 2 a reactionary person. hard hit badly affected. hard-hitting aggressively critical. hard labour heavy manual work as a punishment, esp. in a prison. hard landing 1 a clumsy or rough landing of an aircraft. 2 an uncontrolled landing in which a spacecraft is destroyed. hard line unyielding adherence to a firm policy. hard-liner a person who adheres rigidly to a policy. hard lines Brit. colloq. = hard luck. hard luck worse fortune than one deserves. hard-nosed colloq. realistic, uncompromising. hard nut sl. a tough, aggressive person. a hard nut to crack colloq. 1 a difficult problem. 2 a person or thing not easily understood or influenced. hard of hearing somewhat deaf. hard on (or upon) close to in pursuit etc. hard-on n. coarse sl. an erection of the penis. hard pad a form of distemper in dogs etc. hard palate the front part of the palate. hard-paste denoting a Chinese or 'true' porcelain made of fusible and infusible materials (usu. clay and stone) and fired at a high temperature. hard-pressed 1 closely pursued. 2 burdened with urgent business. hard rock colloq. rock music with a heavy beat. hard roe see ROE(1). hard sauce a sauce of butter and sugar, often with brandy etc. added. hard sell aggressive salesmanship or advertising. hard shoulder Brit. a hardened strip alongside a motorway for stopping on in an emergency. hard stuff sl. strong alcoholic drink, esp. whisky. hard tack a ship's biscuit. hard up 1 short of money. 2 (foll. by for) at a loss for; lacking. hard-wearing able to stand much wear. hard wheat wheat with a hard grain rich in gluten. hard-wired involving or achieved by permanently connected circuits designed to perform a specific function. hard-working diligent. put the hard word on Austral. & NZ sl. ask a favour (esp. sexual or financial) of. øøhardish adj. hardness n. [OE hard, heard f. Gmc] 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue HARD Stale beer, nearly sour, is said to be hard. Hard also means severe: as, hard fate, a hard master. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 7. To proceed by a mental operation; to pass in mind or by an act of the memory or imagination; -- generally with over or through. By going over all these particulars, you may receive some tolerable satisfaction about this great subject. --South. 8. To be with young; to be pregnant; to gestate. The fruit she goes with, I pray for heartily, that it may find Good time, and live. --Shak. 9. To move from the person speaking, or from the point whence the action is contemplated; to pass away; to leave; to depart; -- in opposition to stay and come. I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God; . . . only ye shall not go very far away. --Ex. viii. 28. 10. To pass away; to depart forever; to be lost or ruined; to perish; to decline; to decease; to die. By Saint George, he's gone! That spear wound hath our master sped. --Sir W. Scott. 11. To reach; to extend; to lead; as, a line goes across the street; his land goes to the river; this road goes to New York. His amorous expressions go no further than virtue may allow. --Dryden. 12. To have recourse; to resort; as, to go to law. Note: Go is used, in combination with many prepositions and adverbs, to denote motion of the kind indicated by the preposition or adverb, in which, and not in the verb, lies the principal force of the expression; as, to go against to go into, to go out, to go aside, to go astray, etc. Go to, come; move; go away; -- a phrase of exclamation, serious or ironical. To go a-begging, not to be in demand; to be undesired. To go about. (a) To set about; to enter upon a scheme of action; to undertake. ``They went about to slay him.'' --Acts ix. 29. They never go about . . . to hide or palliate their vices. --Swift. (b) (Naut.) To tack; to turn the head of a ship; to wear. To go abraod. (a) To go to a foreign country. (b) To go out of doors. (c) To become public; to be published or disclosed; to be current. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren. --John xxi. 23. To go against. (a) To march against; to attack. (b) To be in opposition to; to be disagreeable to. To go ahead. (a) To go in advance. (b) To go on; to make progress; to proceed. To go and come. See To come and go, under Come. To go aside. (a) To withdraw; to retire. He . . . went aside privately into a desert place. --Luke. ix. 10. (b) To go from what is right; to err. --Num. v. 29. To go back on. (a) To retrace (one's path or footsteps). (b) To abandon; to turn against; to betray. [Slang, U. S.] To go below (Naut), to go below deck. To go between, to interpose or mediate between; to be a secret agent between parties; in a bad sense, to pander. To go beyond. See under Beyond. To go by, to pass away unnoticed; to omit. To go by the board (Naut.), to fall or be carried overboard; as, the mast went by the board. To go down. (a) To descend. (b) To go below the horizon; as, the sun has gone down. (c) To sink; to founder; -- said of ships, etc. (d) To be swallowed; -- used literally or figuratively. [Colloq.] Nothing so ridiculous, . . . but it goes down whole with him for truth. --L' Estrange. To go far. (a) To go to a distance. (b) To have much weight or influence. To go for. (a) To go in quest of. (b) To represent; to pass for. (c) To favor; to advocate. (d) To attack; to assault. [Low] (e) To sell for; to be parted with for (a price). To go for nothing, to be parted with for no compensation or result; to have no value, efficacy, or influence; to count for nothing. To go forth. (a) To depart from a place. (b) To be divulged or made generally known; to emanate. The law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. --Micah iv. 2. To go hard with, to trouble, pain, or endanger. To go in, to engage in; to take part. [Colloq.] To go in and out, to do the business of life; to live; to have free access. --John x. 9. To go in for. [Colloq.] (a) To go for; to favor or advocate (a candidate, a measure, etc.). (b) To seek to acquire or attain to (wealth, honor, preferment, etc.) (c) To complete for (a reward, election, etc.). (d) To make the object of one's labors, studies, etc. He was as ready to go in for statistics as for anything else. --Dickens. To go in to or unto. (a) To enter the presence of. --Esther iv. 16. (b) To have sexual intercourse with. [Script.] To go into. (a) To speak of, investigate, or discuss (a question, subject, etc.). (b) To participate in (a war, a business, etc.). To go large. (Naut) See under Large. To go off. (a) To go away; to depart. The leaders . . . will not go off until they hear you. --Shak. (b) To cease; to intermit; as, this sickness went off. (c) To die. --Shak. (d) To explode or be discharged; -- said of gunpowder, of a gun, a mine, etc. (e) To find a purchaser; to be sold or disposed of. (f) To pass off; to take place; to be accomplished. The wedding went off much as such affairs do. --Mrs. Caskell. To go on. (a) To proceed; to advance further; to continue; as, to go on reading. (b) To be put or drawn on; to fit over; as, the coat will not go on. To go all fours, to correspond exactly, point for point. It is not easy to make a simile go on all fours. --Macaulay. To go out. (a) To issue forth from a place. (b) To go abroad; to make an excursion or expedition. There are other men fitter to go out than I. --Shak. What went ye out for to see ? --Matt. xi. 7, 8, 9. (c) To become diffused, divulged, or spread abroad, as news, fame etc. (d) To expire; to die; to cease; to come to an end; as, the light has gone out. Life itself goes out at thy displeasure. --Addison. To go over. (a) To traverse; to cross, as a river, boundary, etc.; to change sides. I must not go over Jordan. --Deut. iv. 22. Let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan. --Deut. iii. 25. Ishmael . . . departed to go over to the Ammonites. --Jer. xli. 10. (b) To read, or study; to examine; to review; as, to go over one's accounts. If we go over the laws of Christianity, we shall find that . . . they enjoin the same thing. --Tillotson. (c) To transcend; to surpass. (d) To be postponed; as, the bill went over for the session. (e) (Chem.) To be converted (into a specified substance or material); as, monoclinic sulphur goes over into orthorhombic, by standing; sucrose goes over into dextrose and levulose. To go through. (a) To accomplish; as, to go through a work. (b) To suffer; to endure to the end; as, to go through a surgical operation or a tedious illness. (c) To spend completely; to exhaust, as a fortune. (d) To strip or despoil (one) of his property. [Slang] (e) To botch or bungle a business. [Scot.] To go through with, to perform, as a calculation, to the end; to complete. To go to ground. (a) To escape into a hole; -- said of a hunted fox. (b) To fall in battle. To go to naught (Colloq.), to prove abortive, or unavailling. To go under. (a) To set; -- said of the sun. (b) To be known or recognized by (a name, title, etc.). (c) To be overwhelmed, submerged, or defeated; to perish; to succumb. To go up, to come to nothing; to prove abortive; to fail. [Slang] To go upon, to act upon, as a foundation or hypothesis. To go with. (a) To accompany. (b) To coincide or agree with. (c) To suit; to harmonize with. To go ( well, ill, or hard) with, to affect (one) in such manner. To go without, to be, or to remain, destitute of. To go wrong. (a) To take a wrong road or direction; to wander or stray. (b) To depart from virtue. (c) To happen unfortunately. (d) To miss success. To let go, to allow to depart; to quit one's hold; to release. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Hard \Hard\, a. [Compar. Harder; superl. Hardest.] [{OE}. heard, AS. heard; akin to OS. & D. heard, G. hart, OHG. harti, Icel. har?r, Dan. haard, Sw. h[*a]rd, Goth. hardus, Gr.? strong, ?, ?, strength, and also to E. -ard, as in coward, drunkard, -crat, -cracy in autocrat, democracy; cf. Skr. kratu strength, ? to do, make. Cf. Hardy.] 1. 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. 2. Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem. The hard causes they brought unto Moses. --Ex. xviii. 26. In which are some things hard to be understood. --2 Peter iii. 16. 3. Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure. 4. Difficult to resist or control; powerful. The stag was too hard for the horse. --L'Estrange. A power which will be always too hard for them. --Addison. 5. Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard conditions or terms. I never could drive a hard bargain. --Burke. 6. Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard heart; hard words; a hard character. 7. Not easy or agreeable to the taste; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style. Figures harder than even the marble itself. --Dryden. 8. Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider. 9. (Pron.) Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; -- said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc. 10. Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as, a hard tone. 11. (Painting) (a) Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition. (b) Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in the coloring or light and shade. Hard cancer, Hard case, etc. See under Cancer, Case, etc. Hard clam, or Hard-shelled clam (Zo["o]l.), the guahog. Hard coal, anthracite, as distinguished from bituminous or soft coal. Hard and fast. (Naut.) See under Fast. Hard finish (Arch.), a smooth finishing coat of hard fine plaster applied to the surface of rough plastering. Hard lines, hardship; difficult conditions. Hard money, coin or specie, as distinguished from paper money. Hard oyster (Zo["o]l.), the northern native oyster. [Local, U. S.] Hard pan, the hard stratum of earth lying beneath the soil; hence, figuratively, the firm, substantial, fundamental part or quality of anything; as, the hard pan of character, of a matter in dispute, etc. See Pan. Hard rubber. See under Rubber. Hard solder. See under Solder. Hard water, water, which contains lime or some mineral substance rendering it unfit for washing. See Hardness, 3. Hard wood, wood of a solid or hard texture; as walnut, oak, ash, box, and the like, in distinction from pine, poplar, hemlock, etc. In hard condition, in excellent condition for racing; having firm muscles;-said of race horses. Syn: Solid; arduous; powerful; trying; unyielding; stubborn; stern; flinty; unfeeling; harsh; difficult; severe; obdurate; rigid. See Solid, and Arduous. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Hard \Hard\, adv. [OE. harde, AS. hearde.] 1. With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly. And prayed so hard for mercy from the prince. --Dryden. My father Is hard at study; pray now, rest yourself. --Shak. 2. With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard. 3. Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly. --Shak. 4. So as to raise difficulties. `` The guestion is hard set''. --Sir T. Browne. 5. With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically; as, to press, to blow, to rain hard; hence, rapidly; as, to run hard. 6. Close or near. Whose house joined hard to the synagogue. --Acts xviii.7. Hard by, near by; close at hand; not far off. ``Hard by a cottage chimney smokes.'' --Milton. Hard pushed, Hard run, greatly pressed; as, he was hard pushed or hard run for time, money, etc. [Colloq.] Hard up, closely pressed by want or necessity; without money or resources; as, hard up for amusements. [Slang] Note: Hard in nautical language is often joined to words of command to the helmsman, denoting that the order should be carried out with the utmost energy, or that the helm should be put, in the direction indicated, to the extreme limit, as, Hard aport! Hard astarboard! Hard alee! Hard aweather up! Hard is also often used in composition with a participle; as, hard-baked; hard-earned; hard-working; hard-won. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Hard \Hard\, v. t. To harden; to make hard. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Hard \Hard\, n. A ford or passage across a river or swamp. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms hard I. a. 1. Firm, solid, compact, impenetrable, unyielding, rigid. 2. Difficult, embarrassing, perplexing, puzzling, knotty, intricate, understood with difficulty. 3. Laborious, arduous, toilsome, fatiguing, wearying. 4. Unfeeling, unkind, insensible, unsusceptible, cruel, oppressive, rigorous, exacting, severe, unyielding, inflexible, callous, obdurate, hard-hearted, unfeeling, unsympathetic. 5. Grievous, distressing, calamitous, painful, disagreeable, unpleasant. 6. Inclement, stormy, tempestuous, cold, severe. 7. Harsh, rough, sour, acid. 8. Coarse, unpalatable. 9. Unfavorable, unprosperous, unpropitious. 10. Stiff, constrained, forced, unnatural, ungraceful, rigid. 11. Excessive, intemperate. II. ad. 1. Close, near. 2. Laboriously, diligently, earnestly, incessantly, energetically. 3. With difficult, not easily. 4. Distressfully, painfully, severely, rigorously. 5. Vehemently, forcibly, violently. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) hard hɑ:d adj. 1 rigid, stiff, solid, inflexible, firm, dense, condensed, compressed, close, solidified, hardened; stony, rocklike, concrete, petrified, granite(-like), flinty, steely; tough, rugged, leathery, callous; unyielding, adamant(ine), impenetrable, obdurate, impervious, impregnable: The cement gets hard in an hour. This steak is as hard as shoe-leather. The metal was so hard that I broke three drills trying to make a hole in it. 2 difficult, laborious, arduous, back-breaking, burdensome, onerous, fatiguing, tiring, exhausting, wearying, strenuous, tough, toilsome: Laying track for the railway is a very hard job. 3 difficult, perplexing, knotty, puzzling, baffling, enigmatic, intricate, complicated, complex, tangled, involved, thorny, incomprehensible, inscrutable, unsolvable, insoluble, Colloq tough: There were a lot of hard questions in the exam. 4 stern, cold, callous, intractable, exacting, strict, demanding, hard-hearted, stony-hearted, severe, tyrannical, despotic, dictatorial, magisterial, oppressive, cruel, ruthless, pitiless, merciless, savage, brutal, brutish, inhuman, heartless, harsh, unkind, implacable, unsympathetic, dispassionate, uncompassionate, unfeeling, obdurate, indurate; unsentimental, insensitive, thick-skinned, tough, hard-boiled, stony, hardbitten, unfeeling, unsparing: Hemel is a hard taskmaster. Of the prison warders, each was harder than the next. He advocates taking a hard line against white-collar crime. 5 bad, difficult, grievous, calamitous, racking, disastrous, dark, grim, distressing, devastating, agonizing, painful, unpleasant, severe, austere, Colloq tough, rough: The years of the Great Depression were hard for everyone. 6 cool, unemotional, calculating, uncompromising, methodical, critical, systematic, practical, pragmatic, businesslike, realistic, penetrating, searching, hard-headed, Colloq tough, hard-nosed: Shareholders should take a hard look at the annual report. Chapelle drives a hard bargain. 7 sedulous, assiduous, devoted, conscientious, industrious, indefatigable, untiring, persistent, dogged, intent, eager, zealous, ardent, energetic, keen, avid: Galpin is a very hard worker who gets a lot done. 8 cold, bare, plain, straight, straightforward, blunt, unvarnished, unquestionable, verifiable, real, indisputable, undeniable, incontestable, incontrovertible, strict, inescapable, ineluctable, unavoidable, unalterable, immutable: The hard fact is that the bill has never been paid. 9 angry, bitter, acrimonious, hostile, antagonistic, harsh, unpleasant, unfriendly: I'm afraid there were some hard words between us. 10 spirituous, alcoholic, strong: She won't touch hard liquor. 11 addictive, habit-forming: He later changed from marijuana to hard drugs. 12 sharp, well-defined, clear, distinct, stark, definite: Note the hard edges of objects in Realist paintings. --adv. 13 vigorously, forcefully, forcibly, energetically, mightily, arduously, laboriously, strenuously, earnestly, actively, dynamically, eagerly, intensely, ardently, heartily, zealously, intently, spiritedly, diligently, assiduously, sedulously, studiously, determinedly, steadfastly, conscientiously, industriously, devotedly, urgently, persistently, untiringly, indefatigably, perseveringly, unfalteringly, relentlessly, doggedly: They always had to work very hard just to scrape by. He's hard at work writing his new book. 14 violently, deeply, intensely, badly, distressingly, painfully, severely, agonizingly: Failing the examination hit him quite hard. 15 intently, carefully, earnestly: The judge thought long and hard before passing sentence. 16 harshly, severely, badly, ill: It's going to go hard with her if she doesn't change her ways. 17 hard up. poor, indigent, poverty-stricken, impoverished, penniless, impecunious, bankrupt, Colloq in the red, broke, bust(ed), on one's uppers, Slang Brit skint: He's so hard up he can't afford a decent meal. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 686 Moby Thesaurus words for "hard": Herculean, Philistine, about, absolute, abstruse, accented, acerb, acerbic, acrid, acrimonious, actively, acute, adamant, adamantine, addictive, adverse, afflictive, agonizing, agonizingly, alcoholic, all but, almost, along toward, alveolar, amaroidal, anesthetic, angry, antagonistic, apical, apico-alveolar, apico-dental, approximately, ardent, ardently, arduous, arduously, around, articulated, assiduous, assiduously, assimilated, astringent, at close quarters, at hand, atrocious, austere, avid, back, backbreaking, bad, badly, baffling, bankrupt, bare, barytone, bec et ongles, beefy, beyond one, bilabial, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, bleak, bloodless, blunt, bony, bothersome, bouncing, bowelless, brazen, broad, broke, brutal, brutish, bulky, burdensome, businesslike, busted, cacuminal, calamitous, calculating, callous, calloused, carefully, cartilaginous, case-hardened, cast-iron, caustic, cement, cemental, central, cerebral, checked, chewy, clear, close, close about, close at hand, close by, close-knit, close-textured, close-woven, coarse, cohesive, cold, cold of heart, coldblooded, coldhearted, compact, compacted, complex, complicated, compressed, concentrated, concrete, condensed, conditioning, conflicting, congested, conscienceless, conscientious, conscientiously, consolidated, consonant, consonantal, continuant, contrary, cool, coriaceous, corneous, counter, counteractive, crabbed, crammed, crammed full, cramp, cramping, critical, crowded, cruel, dark, deep, deeply, definite, delicate, demanding, dense, dental, despotic, determinedly, detrimental, devastating, devoted, devotedly, dictatorial, difficile, difficult, diligent, diligently, disastrous, dispassionate, dissimilated, distinct, distressing, distressingly, dog-eat-dog, dogged, doggedly, dorsal, doughty, dour, down-to-earth, dull, durable, dure, dynamically, eager, eagerly, earnestly, effortful, effortfully, enduring, energetic, energetically, enigmatic, exacting, excruciating, exhausting, factual, fast by, fatiguing, fervent, fibrous, firm, flat, flinthearted, flintlike, flinty, forceful, forcefully, forcible, forcibly, forcy, formidable, front, full-blooded, full-strength, fundamentalist, garbled, genuine, glide, glossal, glottal, gluey, gnawing, granitelike, granitic, grave, grievous, grim, grinding, griping, gristly, gutsy, guttural, gutty, habit-forming, habituating, hairy, hale, hammer and tongs, hard as nails, hard by, hard of heart, hard to understand, hard up, hard-bitten, hard-boiled, hard-core, hard-earned, hard-fought, hard-nosed, hard-set, hardened, hardheaded, hardhearted, hardworking, hardy, harmful, harrowing, harsh, harshly, heart and soul, heartily, heartless, hearty, heavy, hefty, hereabout, hereabouts, hidebound, high, horny, hostile, hurtful, hurting, husky, ill, immovable, immutable, impassible, impecunious, impenetrable, impenitent, impermeable, impervious, implacable, impliable, impoverished, impregnable, in opposition, in spitting distance, in the red, inclement, incomprehensible, incontestable, incontrovertible, indefatigable, indefatigably, indigent, indisputable, indurate, indurated, industrious, industriously, inelastic, ineluctable, inescapable, inexorable, inflexible, inhuman, inimical, inscrutable, insensate, insensitive, insolent, insoluble, intemperate, intense, intensely, intent, intently, intonated, intractable, intransigent, intricate, inured, involved, irksome, iron, iron-hard, ironbound, ironclad, ironhanded, ironlike, irreconcilable, jam-packed, jammed, jawbreaking, jumbled, keen, knotted, knotty, labial, labiodental, labiovelar, labored, laborious, laboriously, lapideous, lasting, lateral, lax, leatherlike, leathery, light, lingual, liquid, lithoid, lithoidal, lost to shame, low, lusty, magisterial, manfully, marble, marblelike, massive, matter-of-fact, mean, merciless, methodical, mid, mightily, mighty, miserable, monophthongal, most, much, muscle-bound, muted, narrow, nasal, nasalized, near, near at hand, nearabout, nearabouts, nearby, nervy, never idle, nigh, nigh about, no picnic, nonporous, not easy, not far, obdurate, obfuscated, obscure, obscured, obstinate, occlusive, onerous, only a step, open, operose, operosely, opposed, opposing, opposite, oppressive, orthodox, osseous, overtechnical, oxytone, pachydermatous, packed, painful, painfully, palatal, palatalized, paroxysmal, penetrating, penniless, perplexed, perplexing, perseveringly, persistent, persistently, petrified, pharyngeal, pharyngealized, phonemic, phonetic, phonic, physiologically addictive, piercing, pitch, pitched, pitiless, plain, poignant, poor, positive, posttonic, potent, poverty-stricken, powerful, practical, practically, pragmatic, procrustean, profound, proof against, psychologically addictive, puissant, pungent, purist, puristic, puritan, puritanic, puzzling, racking, real, realistic, red-blooded, relentless, relentlessly, remorseless, resistant, resistive, retroflex, rigid, rigorist, rigoristic, rigorous, robust, robustious, rock-ribbed, rockbound, rocklike, rocky, ropy, rough, rounded, rugged, ruthless, savage, scabrous, scrambled, searching, seared, sedulous, sedulously, semivowel, serious, serried, set, set with thorns, severe, severely, shameless, sharp, shooting, sinewy, sinister, slavish, sleepless, sober, soft, solid, solidified, sonant, sound, sour, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spiny, spiritedly, spirituous, stabbing, stable, stalwart, stark, steadfastly, steady, steeled against, steellike, steely, steep, stern, sticky, stiff, stinging, stonelike, stony, stonyhearted, stopped, stout, straight, straightforward, straightlaced, straining, straitlaced, strapping, strenuous, strenuously, stressed, stressful, strict, stringent, stringy, strong, strong as brandy, strong as strong, strong-willed, stubborn, studiously, sturdy, substantial, surd, sure-enough, syllabic, systematic, tangled, tart, tenacious, tense, terrible, the hard way, thereabout, thereabouts, thick, thick-growing, thick-skinned, thickset, thorny, throaty, ticklish, tireless, tiring, toilsome, toilsomely, tonal, tonic, tooth and nail, tormenting, torturous, tough, tough as leather, tricky, troublesome, troublous, trying, twangy, tyrannical, unabject, unaccented, unaffected, unalterable, unavoidable, unbending, unblushing, unchangeable, uncompassionate, uncompassioned, uncompromising, uncontrite, undeniable, unemotional, unfalteringly, unfavorable, unfeeling, unflagging, unforgiving, unfriendly, ungentle, ungiving, unidealistic, unkind, unmelted, unmerciful, unmoved, unnatural, unpitiful, unpitying, unpleasant, unquestionable, unrelenting, unremitting, unremorseful, unrepentant, unrepenting, unresponsive, unrounded, unsentimental, unsleeping, unsoftened, unsolvable, unsparing, unstressed, unsympathetic, unsympathizing, untiring, untiringly, untouched, untoward, unvarnished, unwearied, unyielding, uphill, urgently, vehement, velar, verifiable, vigorous, vigorously, vinous, violently, viscid, viscose, viscous, vocalic, vocoid, voiced, voiceless, vowel, vowellike, weak, wearing, wearisome, wearying, well-built, well-constructed, well-defined, well-founded, well-grounded, well-made, well-nigh, wicked, wide, winy, wiry, with a kick, with a will, with effort, within call, within earshot, within hearing, within reach, without mercy, wretched, zealous, zealously |
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