hard (harder comparative) (hardest superlative )
1 adj Something that is hard is very firm and stiff to touch and is not easily bent, cut, or broken., (Antonym: soft)
He shuffled his feet on the hard wooden floor..., Something cold and hard pressed into the back of his neck.
hardness n-uncount oft with poss
He felt the hardness of the iron railing press against his spine.
2 adj Something that is hard is very difficult to do or deal with.
oft it v-link ADJ to-inf, ADJ to-inf
(=difficult) (Antonym: easy)
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.
3 adv If you work hard doing something, you are very active or work intensely, with a lot of effort.
ADV after v
I'll work hard. I don't want to let him down..., Am I trying too hard?
Hard is also an adjective., adj ADJ n
I admired him as a true scientist and hard worker.
4 adj 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.
5 adv If you look, listen, or think hard, you do it carefully and with a great deal of attention.
ADV after v
You had to listen hard to hear the old man breathe...
Hard is also an adjective., adj usu ADJ n
It might be worth taking a long hard look at your frustrations and resentments.
6 adv If you strike or take hold of something hard, you strike or take hold of it with a lot of force.
ADV after v
I kicked a dustbin very hard and broke my toe.
Hard is also an adjective., adj ADJ n
He gave her a hard push which toppled her backwards into an armchair.
7 adv You can use hard to indicate that something happens intensely and for a long time.
ADV after v
I've never seen Terry laugh so hard..., It was snowing hard by then.
8 adj If a person or their expression is hard, they show no kindness or sympathy.
usu ADJ n (Antonym: gentle)
His father was a hard man...
9 adj If you are hard on someone, you treat them severely or unkindly.
v-link ADJ on n (Antonym: soft)
Don't be so hard on him.
Hard is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
He said the security forces would continue to crack down hard on the protestors.
10 adj 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.
v-link ADJ on n
The grey light was hard on the eyes..., These last four years have been hard on them.
11 adj If you have a hard life or a hard period of time, your life or that period is difficult and unpleasant for you.
(=tough)
It had been a hard life for her..., Those were hard times.
hardness n-uncount N of n
In America, people don't normally admit to the hardness of life.
12 adj Hard evidence or facts are definitely true and do not need to be questioned.
ADJ n
There are probably fewer hard facts about the life of Henry Purcell than that of any other great composer since the Renaissance.
13 adj Hard water contains a lot of calcium compounds that stop soap making bubbles and sometimes appear as a deposit in kettles and baths., (Antonym: soft)
14 adj Hard drugs are very strong illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine.
ADJ n (Antonym: soft)
15 If you feel hard done by, you feel that you have not been treated fairly.
(BRIT)
hard done by phrase v-link PHR
The hall porter was feeling hard done by at having to extend his shift.
16 If you say that something is hard going, you mean it is difficult and requires a lot of effort.
be hard going phrase usu v-link PHR
The talks had been hard going at the start.
17 To be hard hitby something means to be affected very severely by it.
be hard hit phrase usu v-link PHR
California's been particularly hard hit by the recession.
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.
play hard to get phrase V inflects
I wanted her and she was playing hard to get.
19 If someone is hard putto do something or, in British English if they are hard pushedto do something, they have great difficulty doing it.
be hard put/pushed to do sth phrase usu v-link PHR to-inf
Mr Morton is undoubtedly cleverer than Mr Kirkby, but he will be hard put to match his popularity.
20 If you take something hard, you are very upset or depressed by it.
take sth hard phrase V inflects
Maybe I just took it too hard.
