American Heritage Dictionary Entry: hard HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com hard (härd) Share: Tweet adj. hard·er, hard·est 1. a. Resistant to pressure; not readily penetrated; firm or solid: a hard material. b. Well protected from an attack, as by aerial bombardment: bunkers and other hard targets. 2. a. Requiring great effort or endurance: a hard assignment. b. Performed with or marked by great diligence or energy: a project that required years of hard work. c. Difficult to resolve, accomplish, or finish: That was a hard question. d. Difficult to understand or impart: Physics was the hardest of my courses. Thermodynamics is a hard course to teach. 3. Proceeding or performing with force, vigor, or persistence; assiduous: a hard worker. 4. a. Intense in force or degree: a hard blow. b. Inclement or severe: a long, hard winter. 5. a. Stern, strict, or demanding: a hard taskmaster. b. Lacking compassion or sympathy; callous: became hard after years in prison. 6. a. Difficult to endure; causing hardship or suffering: a hard life. b. Oppressive or unjust in nature or effect: restrictions that were hard on welfare applicants. c. Harsh or severe in effect or intention: I said some hard things that I regret. d. Marked by stubborn refusal to compromise or yield; uncompromising: drives a hard bargain. e. Bitter or resentful: hard feelings caused by the insult. f. Showing disapproval, bitterness, or resentment: gave me a hard look. 7. a. Causing damage or premature wear: Snow and ice are hard on a car's finish. b. Bad; adverse: hard luck. 8. a. Real and unassailable: hard evidence. b. Definite; firm: a hard commitment. c. Free from illusion or sentimentality; practical or realistic: We need to take a hard look at the situation. d. Using or based on data that are readily quantified or verified: the hard sciences. 9. a. Marked by sharp delineation or contrast: a hard line separating the two lists. b. Lacking in shade; undiminished: the hard light of the midday sun. 10. Hardcore. 11. Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle more acute than other possible routes. 12. a. Metallic, as opposed to paper. Used of currency. b. Backed by bullion rather than by credit. Used of currency. c. High and stable. Used of prices. 13. a. Durable; lasting: hard merchandise. b. Written or printed rather than stored in electronic media: sent the information by hard mail. 14. Erect; tumid. Used of a penis. 15. a. Having high alcoholic content; intoxicating: hard liquor. b. Rendered alcoholic by fermentation; fermented: hard cider. 16. Containing dissolved salts that interfere with the lathering action of soap or other cleansing agents. Used of water. 17. Linguistics Velar, as in c in cake or g in log, as opposed to palatal or soft. 18. Physics Of relatively high energy; penetrating: hard x-rays. 19. High in gluten content: hard wheat. 20. Chemistry Resistant to biodegradation: a hard detergent. 21. Extremely or dangerously addictive. Used of certain illegal drugs, such as heroin. adv. 1. With strenuous effort; intently: worked hard all day; stared hard at the accused criminal. 2. With great force, vigor, or energy: pressed hard on the lever. 3. In such a way as to cause great damage or hardship: industrial cities hit hard by unemployment. 4. With great distress, grief, or bitterness: took the divorce hard. 5. Firmly; securely: held hard to the railing. 6. Toward or into a solid condition: concrete that sets hard within a day. 7. Near in space or time; close: The factory stands hard by the railroad tracks. 8. Nautical Completely; fully: hard alee.Idioms: hard and fast Defined, fixed, and invariable: hard and fast rules. hard of hearing 1. Having a partial loss of hearing. 2. People who have partial loss of hearing, considered as a group. hard put Undergoing great difficulty: Under the circumstances, he was hard put to explain himself. hard up Informal 1. In need; poor. 2. Lacking something that is greatly desired: hard up for companionship. [Middle English, from Old English heard; see kar- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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