English adjective: hard | |||
1. | hard not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure | ||
Samples | 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?. | ||
Synonyms | difficult | ||
Similar | ambitious, arduous, awkward, baffling, catchy, challenging, delicate, elusive, embarrassing, fractious, hard-fought, herculean, knotty, nasty, problematic, problematical, rocky, rough, rugged, serious, sticky, tall, thorny, ticklish, tight, touchy, tough, tough, tricky, troublesome, trying, unenviable, vexed | ||
See also | demanding, effortful, hard | ||
Attribute | difficultness, difficulty | ||
Antonyms | easy | ||
2. | hard dispassionate | ||
Samples | Took a hard look. A hard bargainer. | ||
Similar | calculating, calculative, case-hardened, conniving, hard-boiled, hardened, scheming, shrewd, steely | ||
See also | difficult, hard, insensitive, merciless, tough, unmerciful | ||
Antonyms | soft | ||
3. | hard resisting weight or pressure | ||
Similar | adamantine, al dente, corneous, erect, firm, granitelike, granitic, hardened, hornlike, horny, petrous, rocklike, semihard, set, solid, steely, stonelike, stony, tumid, unyielding, woody | ||
Attribute | hardness | ||
Antonyms | soft | ||
4. | hard very strong or vigorous | ||
Samples | Strong winds. A hard left to the chin. A knockout punch. A severe blow. | ||
Synonyms | knockout, severe | ||
Similar | strong | ||
Antonyms | weak | ||
5. | hard characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort | ||
Samples | 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. | ||
Synonyms | arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome | ||
Similar | effortful | ||
Antonyms | effortless | ||
6. | hard produced without vibration of the vocal cords | ||
Samples | Unvoiced consonants such as `p' and `k' and `s'. | ||
Synonyms | surd, unvoiced, voiceless | ||
Similar | whispered | ||
Antonyms | sonant, voiced, soft | ||
7. | hard (of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source | ||
Synonyms | concentrated | ||
Antonyms | diffuse, diffused, soft | ||
8. | hard (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward or touching the velum | ||
Samples | Russian distinguished between hard consonants and palatalized or soft consonants. | ||
Similar | velar | ||
Antonyms | soft | ||
9. | hard given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors | ||
Samples | A hard drinker. | ||
Synonyms | heavy, intemperate | ||
Similar | indulgent | ||
Antonyms | nonindulgent, strict | ||
10. | hard being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content | ||
Samples | Hard liquor. | ||
Synonyms | strong | ||
Similar | alcoholic | ||
Antonyms | nonalcoholic | ||
11. | hard unfortunate or hard to bear | ||
Samples | Had hard luck. A tough break. | ||
Synonyms | tough | ||
Similar | bad | ||
Antonyms | good | ||
12. | hard dried out | ||
Samples | Hard dry rolls left over from the day before. | ||
Similar | stale | ||
Antonyms | fresh | ||
English adverb: hard | |||
1. | hard with effort or force or vigor | ||
Samples | The team played hard. Worked hard all day. Pressed hard on the lever. Hit the ball hard. Slammed the door hard. | ||
2. | hard with firmness | ||
Samples | Held hard to the railing. | ||
Synonyms | firmly | ||
3. | hard earnestly or intently | ||
Samples | Thought hard about it. Stared hard at the accused. | ||
4. | hard causing great damage or hardship | ||
Samples | Industries hit hard by the depression. She was severely affected by the bank's failure. | ||
Synonyms | severely | ||
5. | hard slowly and with difficulty | ||
Samples | Prejudices die hard. | ||
6. | hard indulging excessively | ||
Samples | He drank heavily. | ||
Synonyms | heavily, intemperately | ||
Antonyms | lightly | ||
7. | hard into a solid condition | ||
Samples | Concrete that sets hard within a few hours. | ||
8. | hard very near or close in space or time | ||
Samples | It stands hard by the railroad tracks. They were hard on his heels. A strike followed hard upon the plant's opening. | ||
9. | hard with pain or distress or bitterness | ||
Samples | He took the rejection very hard. | ||
10. | hard to the full extent possible; all the way | ||
Samples | Hard alee. The ship went hard astern. Swung the wheel hard left. | ||