hard
Pronunciation: (härd), [key]
— adj., adv., n. -er, -est, -er, -est,
—adj.
- not soft; solid and firm to the touch; unyielding to pressure and impenetrable or almost impenetrable.
- firmly formed; tight: a hard knot.
- difficult to do or accomplish; fatiguing; troublesome: a hard task.
- difficult or troublesome with respect to an action, situation, person, etc.: hard to please; a hard time.
- difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand: a hard problem.
- involving a great deal of effort, energy, or persistence: hard labor; hard study.
- performing or carrying on work with great effort, energy, or persistence: a hard worker.
- vigorous or violent in force; severe: a hard rain; a hard fall.
- bad; unendurable; unbearable: hard luck.
- oppressive; harsh; rough: hard treatment.
- austere; severe: a hard winter; the hard times of the Great Depression.
- harsh or severe in dealing with others: a hard master.
- difficult to explain away; undeniable: hard facts.
- that can be verified; factual, as distinguished from speculation or hearsay: hard information.
- harsh or unfriendly; resentful; severe; bitter: hard feelings; hard words.
- of stern judgment or close examination; searching: a hard look.
- lacking delicacy or softness; not blurred or diffused; clear and distinct; sharp; harsh: a hard line; a hard, bright light; hard features; a hard face.
- (of a photograph) contrasty.
- severe or rigorous in terms: a hard bargain.
- sternly realistic; dispassionate; unsentimental: a hard, practical man; a hard view of life.
- incorrigible; disreputable; tough: a hard character.
- niggardly; stingy.
- in coins or paper money as distinguished from checks, securities, promissory notes, or other negotiable instruments).
- (of paper money or a monetary system) supported by sufficient gold reserves and easily convertible into the currency of a foreign nation.
- (of money) scarce or available at high interest rates: a hard loan.
- denoting assets with intrinsic value, as gold, silver, or diamonds.
- (of alcoholic beverages) hard cider.
- containing more than 22.5 percent alcohol by volume, as whiskey and brandy as opposed to beer and wine.
- strong because of fermentation; intoxicating:hard cider.
- (of wine) tasting excessively of tannin.
- (of an illicit narcotic or drug) known to be physically addictive, as opium, morphine, or cocaine.
- (of water) containing mineral salts that interfere with the action of soap.
- (of bread and baked goods) hard rolls.
- having a firm, crisp crust or texture:hard rolls.
- stale or tough.
- (of a fabric) having relatively little nap; smooth: Silk is a harder fabric than wool or cotton.
- (of the landing of a rocket or space vehicle) executed without decelerating:Cf. soft (def. 28). a hard landing on the moon.
- (of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.
- (of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.
- being underground and strongly protected from nuclear bombardment.
- noting wheats with high gluten content, milled for a bread flour as contrasted with pastry flour.
-
- fortis.
- (of c and g) pronounced as (k) in come and (g) in go, rather than as in cent, cello, suspicion, gem, or beige.
- (of consonants in Slavic languages) not palatalized. Cf. soft (def. 26).
- (in the making of rope) noting a lay having a considerable angle to the axis of the rope; short.
- (of a beam of particles or photons) having relatively high energy:Cf. soft (def. 29). hard x-rays.
- (of the penis) erect.
- See
- The country is hard up for technicians and doctors.
- urgently in need of money.
- feeling a lack or need:The country is hard up for technicians and doctors.
—adv.
- with great exertion; with vigor or violence; strenuously: to work hard; to try hard.
- earnestly, intently, or critically: to look hard at a thing.
- harshly or severely.
- so as to be solid, tight, or firm: frozen hard.
- with strong force or impact: She tripped and came down hard on her back.
- in a deeply affected manner; with genuine sorrow or remorse: She took it very hard when they told her of his death.
- closely; immediately: Failure and defeat seemed hard at hand. The decision to ban students from the concerts followed hard on the heels of the riot.
- to an unreasonable or extreme degree; excessively; immoderately: He's hitting the bottle pretty hard.
- closely, fully, or to the extreme limit: hard aport; hard alee.
- to deal harshly with; be stern: You are being too hard on him.
- in close proximity to; near: The house is hard by the river.
- in great perplexity or difficulty; at a loss: We were hard put to finish the examination in one hour.
—n.
- a firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
-
- a firm or solid beach or foreshore.
- a firm landing, jetty, or road across or adjoining the foreshore.
- See
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.