What does "hard" mean?

1. (solid and firm) not soft; something that stays firm when you press it. 2. (difficult) needing a lot of effort or thought to do or understand. 3. (strict or severe) showing no kindness or being very strict. 4. (proven or factual) based on facts that can be proven, not just ideas. 5. (physical version) a physical object rather than a digital one on a computer. 6. (tough or cool) acting tough, strong, or impressive in a cool way. 7. (with great effort) using a lot of energy, strength, or focus. 8. (boat ramp) a solid path or slope used for pulling boats out of the water.

hard — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "This is a very hardly exam."?

No — say "This is a very hard exam.". Use 'hard' as an adjective. 'Hardly' is an adverb that means 'almost not'.

Word

01solid and firm

A1 · Beginner

adj. not soft; something that stays firm when you press it.

adj. physically firm, rigid, or resistant to pressure; not easily penetrated or out of shape.

“The ground was too hard to dig because it had not rained for weeks.”

“The diamond is the hardest known natural material, capable of scratching any other mineral surface without sustaining damage itself.”

Synonyms

solid firm rigid

Antonyms

soft flexible

02difficult

A1 · Beginner

adj. needing a lot of effort or thought to do or understand.

adj. requiring great physical or mental effort; challenging to accomplish or comprehend.

“I found the last question on the math test really hard.”

“The committee faced a hard decision regarding the budget cuts, as every option involved significant job losses.”

Pitfall

This is a very hardly exam.

This is a very hard exam.

Use 'hard' as an adjective. 'Hardly' is an adverb that means 'almost not'.

Synonyms

difficult tough challenging

Antonyms

easy simple

03strict or severe

B1 · Intermediate

adj. showing no kindness or being very strict.

adj. showing lack of sympathy; severe, stern, or demanding in nature.

“Our new coach is very hard on us during practice.”

“Life in the mining town was hard, and the residents developed a resilient character to cope with the daily struggles.”

Synonyms

strict harsh stern

Antonyms

kind gentle lenient

04proven or factual

B2 · Upper Intermediate Academic

adj. based on facts that can be proven, not just ideas.

adj. referring to data or evidence that is definite, reliable, and verifiable.

“The police are looking for hard evidence to link him to the crime.”

“Economists prefer hard data over anecdotal reports when forecasting the quarterly growth of the national economy.”

Synonyms

factual solid verifiable

Antonyms

soft circumstantial

05physical version

B1 · Intermediate Computing

adj. a physical object rather than a digital one on a computer.

adj. existing in a physical or printed form as opposed to electronic or digital media.

“I still prefer reading a hard copy of a book rather than using a tablet.”

“The archive maintains hard copies of all legal documents in a climate-controlled vault to ensure long-term preservation.”

Synonyms

physical printed

Antonyms

digital virtual

06tough or cool

C1 · Advanced Slang

adj. acting tough, strong, or impressive in a cool way.

adj. demonstrating a tough, formidable, or impressive persona; often used to describe music or fashion.

“That new track they released is so hard.”

“He tried to act hard in front of his friends, but everyone knew he was actually quite sensitive.”

Synonyms

tough cool intense

Antonyms

weak

07with great effort

A1 · Beginner

adv. using a lot of energy, strength, or focus.

adv. with a great deal of effort, force, or intensity.

“If you work hard, you will eventually reach your goals.”

“The rain hit the roof so hard that we could barely hear each other speaking during the storm.”

Usage

The adverb 'hard' follows the verb it describes.

Synonyms

intensely vigorously

Antonyms

easily lightly

08boat ramp

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Nautical British English · Technical

n. a solid path or slope used for pulling boats out of the water.

n. a firm, man-made slope or area of ground used for landing or hauling up boats.

“We hauled the dinghy up onto the hard to clean the hull.”

“The yacht club recently renovated the concrete hard to accommodate larger vessels during the winter maintenance season.”

Synonyms

slipwaylanding

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “hard” in context.

01. particularly hard

hard vs hardly

Hard describes the intensity or effort of an action, while hardly indicates that an action almost never happens or barely occurs.

RememberHard is for effort; hardly is for 'almost not'.

From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic harduz, from Proto-Indo-European kort-ús, from kret- (“strong, powerful”). Cognates Cognate with Yola hard (“hard”), West Frisian hurd (“hard”), Alemannic German hert (“hard”), Bavarian hoat (“hard”), Central Franconian haat (“hard”), Dutch hard (“hard”), German hart (“hard”), Luxembourgish haart (“hard”), Danish, Swedish hård (“hard”), Faroese, Icelandic harður (“hard”), Norwegian Bokmål hard (“hard”), Norwegian Nynorsk hard, hard’u (“hard”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌿𐍃 (hardus, “hard”), Ancient Greek κρατύς (kratús, “strong, mighty”), Sanskrit क्रतु (krátu, “power, might, ability”), Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬙𐬎 (xratu).

From Middle English harden, herden, from Old English heardian (“to become hard”) and hierdan (“to make hard”), from Proto-West Germanic hardēn and hardijan, from Proto-Germanic *hardijaną. Cognates Cognate with Dutch harden (“to harden”), German härten (“to harden”), Danish hærde (“to harden; to temper”), Icelandic herða (“to harden”), Norwegian Bokmål herde (“to harden; to toughen”), Norwegian Nynorsk herda (“to make hard, temper; harden”), Swedish härda (“harden, temper”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gahardjan), 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hardjan, “to harden”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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ADJECTIVE