Thesaurus
Synonyms & Antonyms of hard
(Entry 1 of 2)
- a hard man, who never had a kind word for anyone
Synonyms for hard
- affectless,
- callous,
- case-hardened,
- cold-blooded,
- compassionless,
- desensitized,
- hard-boiled,
- hard-hearted,
- heartless,
- indurate,
- inhuman,
- inhumane,
- insensate,
- insensitive,
- ironhearted,
- merciless,
- obdurate,
- pachydermatous,
- pitiless,
- remorseless,
- ruthless,
- slash-and-burn,
- soulless,
- stony
- (also stoney),
- stonyhearted,
- take-no-prisoners,
- thick-skinned,
- uncharitable,
- unfeeling,
- unmerciful,
- unsparing,
- unsympathetic
Words Related to hard
- grim,
- hard-bitten,
- harsh,
- heavy-handed,
- ironfisted,
- ironhanded,
- jackbooted,
- knock-down, drag-out
- (or knock-down-and-drag-out),
- oppressive,
- rough,
- rough-and-tumble,
- severe,
- sledgehammer,
- stern,
- tough,
- ungentle
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- clearing land is hard work
- a hard exam to pass
Synonyms for hard
- arduous,
- Augean,
- backbreaking,
- challenging,
- demanding,
- difficult,
- effortful,
- exacting,
- formidable,
- grueling
- (or gruelling),
- heavy,
- hellacious,
- herculean,
- killer,
- laborious,
- moiling,
- murderous,
- pick-and-shovel,
- rigorous,
- rough,
- rugged,
- severe,
- stiff,
- strenuous,
- sweaty,
- tall,
- testing,
- toilsome,
- tough,
- uphill
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- cheap,
- easy,
- effortless,
- facile,
- light,
- mindless,
- simple,
- soft,
- undemanding
- they were forced to import sheep of a harder stock, one that could thrive in the harsh climate
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
- durable,
- enduring,
- everlasting,
- immortal,
- imperishable,
- lasting,
- permanent,
- stable,
- staunch
- (also stanch),
- staying,
- tenacious,
- unyielding
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- do you have any hard evidence that this was once the site of a Native American village?
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- the hard life of a migrant farm worker
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- a carpet that withstood years of hard wear
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- a hard disciplinarian who is quick to punish the tiniest violation of the rules
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- hard candies
- fell on the hard floor and bruised her arm
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- there isn't always a hard line between right and wrong
Synonyms for hard
- certain,
- determinate,
- final,
- firm,
- fixed,
- flat,
- frozen,
- hard-and-fast,
- inexpugnable,
- set,
- settled,
- stable
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
- maintained hard feelings toward those who had cheated him
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
- caring,
- forgiving,
- gentle,
- kind,
- kindhearted,
- loving,
- sweet,
- sympathetic,
- tender,
- warm,
- warmhearted
Antonyms for hard
- a woman with a hard will who never budged from her chosen path
Synonyms for hard
- adamant,
- adamantine,
- bullheaded,
- dogged,
- hard-nosed,
- hardened,
- hardheaded,
- headstrong,
- immovable,
- implacable,
- inconvincible,
- inflexible,
- intransigent,
- mulish,
- obdurate,
- obstinate,
- opinionated,
- ossified,
- pat,
- pertinacious,
- perverse,
- pigheaded,
- self-opinionated,
- self-willed,
- stiff-necked,
- stubborn,
- unbending,
- uncompromising,
- unrelenting,
- unyielding,
- willful
- (or wilful)
Words Related to hard
- determined,
- hell-bent,
- inexorable,
- persistent,
- relentless,
- resolved,
- set,
- single-minded,
- steadfast,
- stouthearted,
- tenacious,
- unflinching
- firm,
- hard-line,
- hard-shell
- (or hard-shelled),
- iron,
- severe,
- stern,
- strict
- bloody-minded
- [chiefly British],
- cantankerous
Phrases Synonymous with hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- that newscast is strictly devoted to hard news, as the producers prefer to leave the gossip to others
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
- hypothetical,
- speculative,
- theoretical
- (also theoretic)
- chimerical
- (also chimeric),
- fabulous,
- fanciful,
- fantastic
- (also fantastical),
- imaginary,
- imagined,
- invented,
- legendary,
- made-up,
- make-believe,
- mythical
- (or mythic),
- pretend
Antonyms for hard
hard
adverbSynonyms & Antonyms of hard (Entry 2 of 2)
- we took a much-needed break after working hard all week
- a hard-won victory
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
- took the news of their grandfather's death hard
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
- abjectly,
- cheerlessly,
- crestfallenly,
- dejectedly,
- despairingly,
- despondently,
- disconsolately,
- dispiritedly,
- downheartedly,
- low-spiritedly
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- hit the ball hard, causing it to soar out of bounds
- the wind blew hard all day
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
- actively,
- animatedly,
- briskly,
- crisply,
- eagerly,
- gamely,
- heartily,
- lustily,
- snappily,
- spiritedly,
- spunkily,
- vivaciously
Phrases Synonymous with hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
- the groom stood hard by, ready to help, as the lady mounted the skittish horse
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
- hereabouts
- (or hereabout),
- hereaway
- (or hereaways)
- [dialect],
- thereabouts
- (also thereabout)
Phrases Synonymous with hard
- the dog had been treated hard by his previous owner
Synonyms for hard
Words Related to hard
Near Antonyms for hard
Antonyms for hard
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about hard
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Do You 'Party Hearty' or 'Party Hardy'...
Do You 'Party Hearty' or 'Party Hardy' (or Both)?
The key to partying is being kind and resilient.
Thesaurus Entries near hard
See More Nearby EntriesCite this Entry
“Hard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard. Accessed 26 Jan. 2021.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on hard
What made you want to look up hard? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
- What is an earlier meaning of nice?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share hard
Time Traveler for hard
The first known use of hard was before the 12th century
See more words from the same century