hard meaning and definition

HARD adjective

Definition of hard (adjective)

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?"
   • synonyms: difficult
   • antonym: easy
2. dispassionate
   • "took a hard look"; "a hard bargainer";
   • antonym: soft
3. resisting weight or pressure
   • antonym: soft
4. very strong or vigorous
   • "strong winds"; "a hard left to the chin"; "a knockout punch"; "a severe blow"
   • synonyms: 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"
   • synonyms: arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome
6. produced without vibration of the vocal cords
   • "unvoiced consonants such as `p' and `k' and `s'"
   • synonyms: surd, unvoiced, voiceless
   • antonym: soft
7. (of light) transmitted directly from a pointed light source
   • synonyms: concentrated
   • antonym: diffuse
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"
   • antonym: soft
9. given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors
   • "a hard drinker"
   • synonyms: heavy, intemperate
10. being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content
    • "hard liquor"
    • synonyms: strong
11. unfortunate or hard to bear
    • "had hard luck"; "a tough break"
    • synonyms: tough
12. dried out
    • "hard dry rolls left over from the day before"

HARD adverb

Definition of hard (adverb)

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"
   • synonyms: 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"
   • synonyms: severely
5. slowly and with difficulty
   • "prejudices die hard"
6. indulging excessively
   • "he drank heavily"
   • synonyms: heavily, intemperately
   • antonym: 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"