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Webster 1913 Edition

Hard

Hard

(härd)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Harder
(-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Hardest
.]
[OE.
hard
,
heard
, AS.
heard
; akin to OS. & D.
hard
, G.
hart
, OHG.
herti
,
harti
, Icel.
harðr
, Dan.
haard
, Sw.
hård
, Goth.
hardus
, Gr.
κρατύσ
strong,
κάρτος
,
κράτος
, strength, and also to E.
-ard
, as in
coward
,
drunkard
,
-crat
,
-cracy
in auto
crat
, demo
cracy
; cf. Skr.
kratu
strength,
kṛ
to do, make. Cf.
Hardy
.]
1.
Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; – applied to material bodies, and opposed to
soft
;
as,
hard
wood;
hard
flesh; a
hard
apple.
2.
Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved;
as a
hard
problem
.
The
hard
causes they brought unto Moses.
Ex. xviii. 26.
In which are some things
hard
to be understood.
2 Peter iii. 16.
3.
Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous;
as, a
hard
task; a disease
hard
to cure.
4.
Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
The stag was too
hard
for the horse.
L’Estrange.
A power which will be always too
hard
for them.
Addison.
5.
Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping;
as, a
hard
lot;
hard
times;
hard
fare; a
hard
winter;
hard
conditions or terms.
I never could drive a
hard
bargain.
Burke.
6.
Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel;
as, a
hard
master; a
hard
heart;
hard
words; a
hard
character.
7.
Not easy or agreeable to the taste; harsh; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling;
as, a
hard
style
.
Figures
harder
than even the marble itself.
Dryden.
8.
Rough; acid; sour, as liquors;
as,
hard
cider
.
9.
(Pron.)
Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; – said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc.
10.
Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh;
as, a
hard
tone
.
11.
(Painting)
(a)
Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
(b)
Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in the coloring or light and shade.
Syn. – Solid; arduous; powerful; trying; unyielding; stubborn; stern; flinty; unfeeling; harsh; difficult; severe; obdurate; rigid. See
Solid
, and
Arduous
.

Hard

,
adv.
[OE.
harde
, AS.
hearde
.]
1.
With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly.
And prayed so
hard
for mercy from the prince.
Dryden.
My father
Is
hard
at study; pray now, rest yourself.
Shakespeare
2.
With difficulty;
as, the vehicle moves
hard
.
3.
Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly.
Shak.
4.
So as to raise difficulties.
“The question is hard set.”
Sir T. Browne.
5.
With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically;
as, to press, to blow, to rain
hard
; hence, rapidly; nimbly;
as, to run
hard
.
6.
Close or near.
Whose house joined
hard
to the synagogue.
Acts xviii. 7.
Hard by
,
near by
; close at hand; not far off.
“Hard by a cottage chimney smokes.”
Milton.
–
Hard pushed
,
Hard run
,
greatly pressed;
as, he was
hard pushed
or
hard run
for time, money, etc.
[Colloq.]
–
Hard up
,
closely pressed by want or necessity; without money or resources;
as,
hard up
for amusements
.
[Slang]
☞ Hard in nautical language is often joined to words of command to the helmsman, denoting that the order should be carried out with the utmost energy, or that the helm should be put, in the direction indicated, to the extreme limit, as, Hard aport! Hard astarboard! Hard alee! Hard aweather! Hard up!
Hard is also often used in composition with a participle; as, hard-baked; hard-earned;
hard
-featured; hard-working; hard-won.

Hard

(härd)
,
Verb.
T.
To harden; to make hard.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Hard

,
Noun.
A ford or passage across a river or swamp.

Webster 1828 Edition

Hard

H`ARD

, a.
1.
Firm; solid; compact; not easily penetrated, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.
2.
Difficult; not easy to the intellect.
In which are some things hard to be understood. 2 Pet.3.
The hard causes they brought to Moses. Ex. 18.
3.
Difficult of accomplishment; not easy to be done or executed. A hard task; a disease hard to cure.
Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Gen.18.
4.
Full of difficulties or obstacles; not easy to be traveled; as a hard way.
5.
Painful; difficult; distressing.
Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. Gen.35.
6.
Laborious; fatiguing; attended with difficulty or pain, or both; as hard work or labor; hard duty; hard service.
7.
Oppressive; rigorous; severe; cruel; as hard bondage; a hard master. Ex.1. Is. 14.
8.
Unfeeling; insensible; not easily moved by pity; not susceptible of kindness, mercy or other tender affections; as a hard heart.
9.
Severe; harsh; rough; abusive.
Have you given him any hard words of late?
10. Unfavorable; unkind; implying blame of another; as hard thoughts.
11. Severe; rigorous; oppressive. The enemy was compelled to submit to hard terms. So we say, a hard bargain; hard conditions.
12. Unreasonable; unjust. It is hard to punish a man for speculative opinions. It is a hard case.
13. Severe; pinching with cold; rigorous; tempestuous; as a hard winter; hard weather.
14. Powerful; forcible; urging; pressing close on.
The stag was too hard for the horse.
The disputant was too hard for his antagonist.
15. Austere; rough; acid; sour; as liquors.
The cider is hard.
16. Harsh; stiff; forced; constrained; unnatural.
Others--make the figures harder than the marble itself.
His diction is hard, his figures too bold.
17. Not plentiful; not prosperous; pressing; distressing; as hard times, when markets are bad, and money of course scarce.
18. Avaricious; difficult in making bargains; close. Matt.25.
19. Rough; of coarse features; as a hard face or countenance.
20. Austere; severe; rigorous.
21. Rude; unpolished or unintelligible.
A people of hard language. Ezek.3.
22. Coarse; unpalatable or scanty; as hard fare.

H`ARD

,
adv.
Close; near; as in the phrase,hard by. In this phrase,the word retains its original sense of pressed, or pressing.
[L. pressus.]
1.
With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; laboriously; earnestly; vehemently; importunately; as, to work hard for a living.
And pray'd so hard for mercy from the prince.
2.
With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard.
3.
Uneasily; vexatiously.
4.
Closely; so as to raise difficulties.
The question is hard set.
5.
Fast; nimbly; rapidly; vehemently; as, to run hard, that is, with pressure or urgency.
6.
Violently; with great force; tempestuously; as, the wind blows hard, or it blows hard.
7. With violence; with a copious descent of water; as, it rains hard.
8.
With force; as, to press hard.
Hard-a-lee, in seamen's language, an order to put the helm close to the lee side of the ship, to tack or keep her head to the wind; also, that situation of the helm.
Hard-a-weather, an order to put the helm close to the weather or windward side of the ship; also, that position of the helm.
Hard-a-port, an order to put the helm close to the larboard side of a ship.
Hard-a-starboard, an order to put the helm close to the starboard side of a ship.

Definition 2024

hård

hård

See also: hard, haard, and härd

Danish

Adjective

hård

  1. hard
  2. tough
  3. severe, harsh

Inflection

Inflection of hård
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular hård hårdere hårdest2
Neuter singular hårdt hårdere hårdest2
Plural hårde hårdere hårdest2
Definite attributive1 hårde hårdere hårdeste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish harþer, from Old Norse harðr, from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kert-, *kret- ‎(“strong, powerful”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [hoːɖ]

Adjective

hård (comparative hårdare, superlative hårdast)

  1. hard; inflexible; rigid; unbending
  2. hard; resistant to pressure
  3. hard; demanding a lot of effort to endure
  4. (about water) hard; high in dissolved calcium compounds
  5. (about a person) severe; strict; unfriendly
  6. (slang, vulgar, of a male) hard; sexually aroused
  7. (of weather) severe; very bad or intense
  8. with strength; forceful

Inflection

Inflection of hård
Indefinite/attributive Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular hård hårdare hårdast
Neuter singular hårt hårdare hårdast
Plural hårda hårdare hårdast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 hårde hårdare hårdaste
All hårda hårdare hårdaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.

Related terms

See also

Etymology

From Old Danish harth, from Old Norse harðr ‎(“hard”), from Proto-Germanic *harduz ‎(“hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *kert-, *kret- ‎(“strong; powerful”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɔːr/, [hɒːˀ]
  • Homophone: hår

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