hard

1 having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings a hard man, who never had a kind word for anyone Synonyms 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 Related Words boorish, heedless, inconsiderate, thoughtless, uncaring, unfriendly, unloving, unthinking; 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; abusive, acrimonious, disagreeable, hateful, ill-natured, ill-tempered, malevolent, malicious, mean, rancorous, spiteful, surly, virulent; barbarous, bestial, brutal, brutish, cruel, evil-minded, savage, vicious; austere, cold, frosty Near Antonyms benevolent, benignant, gentle, kind; clement, indulgent, lenient, mild; cordial, friendly, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious; tolerant, understanding; affectionate, fond, loving Antonyms charitable, compassionate, humane, kindhearted, kindly, merciful, sensitive, softhearted, sympathetic, tender, tenderhearted, warm, warmhearted

2 requiring considerable physical or mental effort clearing land is hard work a hard exam to pass Synonyms 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 Related Words abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic (also problematical), recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky; bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying; annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious; grievous, grim, strict, stringent; brutal, cruel, inhuman, painful Near Antonyms achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated; comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing; accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendly Antonyms cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding

3 able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure they were forced to import sheep of a harder stock, one that could thrive in the harsh climate Synonyms cast-iron, hardy, hard-bitten, hardened, inured, rugged, stout, strong, sturdy, tough, toughened, vigorousRelated Words flinty, leathery, resilient, stalwart; durable, enduring, everlasting, immortal, imperishable, lasting, permanent, stable, staunch (also stanch), staying, tenacious, unyielding; flourishing, prospering, thriving; able-bodied, brawny, muscular; fit, fortified, hale, healthy, husky, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sound, strapping, virile; annealed, seasoned, temperedNear Antonyms emasculated, enervated, enfeebled, exhausted, run-down, sapped, wasted, weakened, worn, worn out; crippled, debilitated, diseased, incapacitated, infirm, unsound; fragile, frail, puny; resistless, sensitive, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding; mortal, perishable, temporary, transientAntonyms delicate, nonhardy, soft, tender, weak

4 based on sound reasoning or information do you have any hard evidence that this was once the site of a Native American village? Synonyms commonsense, commonsensible, commonsensical, firm, good, informed, just, justified, levelheaded, logical, rational, reasonable, reasoned, sensible, sober, solid, valid, well-foundedRelated Words actual, real, true; certain, sure; certified, validated, verified; confirmed, corroborated, substantiated; cogent, convincing; colorable, credible, plausibleNear Antonyms unsubstantiated, unsupported, unwarranted; flimsy, implausible, unconvincing, weak; fallacious, false, misguided, misledAntonyms groundless, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, nonsensical, nonvalid, unfounded, uninformed, unjustified, unreasonable, unreasoned, unsound

5 difficult to endure the hard life of a migrant farm worker Synonyms bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, harsh, hardhanded, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, tryingRelated Words austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable; biting, inclement, intemperate, wild; rigorous, strict, stringent; agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched; crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing; insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable; harrowing, tortuous; bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasantNear Antonyms comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug; agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant; peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful; bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable; balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperateAntonyms easy, light, soft

6 extreme in degree, power, or effect a carpet that withstood years of hard wear Synonyms acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, intense, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violentRelated Words accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened; emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified; stressed; exhaustive, thorough; harsh, rigorous, severeNear Antonyms feeble, weak; shallow, superficial; moderated, qualified; alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down); abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subduedAntonyms light, moderate, soft

7 given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint a hard disciplinarian who is quick to punish the tiniest violation of the rules Synonyms austere, authoritarian, flinty, severe, harsh, heavy-handed, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, stern, strict, toughRelated Words demanding, exacting; uncharitable, unforgiving; adamant, adamantine, callous, hardened, hard-hearted, hard-line, immovable, implacable, inflexible, merciless, ossified, pitiless, relentless, rock-ribbed, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unsparing, unyielding; dour, gruff; ascetic (also ascetical), monastic, monkish; browbeating, bullying; determined, firm, resolved, single-minded, steadfast, unflinching; dogged, intractable, obstinate, relentlessNear Antonyms easy, easygoing, laid-back, undemanding; charitable, kind, merciful, mild, patient, soft, softhearted; accepting, compromising, yielding; responsive, willing; acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, compliant, flexible, pliable, pliantAntonyms clement, forbearing, gentle, indulgent, lax, lenient, tolerant

8 having a consistency that does not easily yield to pressure hard candies fell on the hard floor and bruised her arm Synonyms compact, firm, rigid, solid, stiff, unyieldingRelated Words case-hardened, compacted, compressed, hardened, indurated, stiffened, tempered; close, dense, heavy, thick, thickset; inelastic, inflexible, ramrod, unbending; compressed, condensed; adamantine, rocklike; sturdy, substantial; impenetrable, impermeable, nonporousNear Antonyms loose, scattered, thin; bendable, elastic, flexible, malleable, pliable, pliant, supple; droopy, flaccid, floppy, lank, limp, slack; airy, light; permeable, porous; ultrasoftAntonyms flabby, soft, spongy, squashy, squishy

9 having been established and usually not subject to change there isn't always a hard line between right and wrong Synonyms certain, determinate, final, firm, flat, frozen, fixed, hard-and-fast, inexpugnable, set, settled, stableRelated Words nonadjustable, noncancelable, nonnegotiable, unchangeable; constant, steady, unchanging, uniform, unwavering; definite, exact, explicit, specific; given, stated, stipulated; dependable, good, reliable, responsible, safe, solid, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trustyNear Antonyms adjustable, changeable, negotiable; indefinite, open-ended, unspecified; capricious, changeful, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile

10 having or showing deep-seated resentment maintained hard feelings toward those who had cheated him Synonyms acrid, acrimonious, embittered, bitter, rancorous, resentful, soreRelated Words disaffected, discontented, disgruntled, malcontent; contemptuous, cynical, disdainful, misanthropic, scornful; angry, cruel, harsh, irritated, mad, rough, savage, vehement, vicious, virulent, vitriolic; acid, caustic, cutting, mordant, sarcastic, trenchant; knock-down, drag-out (or knock-down-and-drag-out)Near Antonyms caring, forgiving, gentle, kind, kindhearted, loving, sweet, sympathetic, tender, warm, warmheartedAntonyms unbitter

11 sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion a woman with a hard will who never budged from her chosen path Synonyms adamant, adamantine, bullheaded, dogged, obstinate, hardened, hardheaded, hard-nosed, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inconvincible, inflexible, intransigent, mulish, obdurate, opinionated, ossified, pat, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, self-opinionated, self-willed, stiff-necked, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful (or wilful)Related Words anal-retentive, obsessive; wayward, wrongheaded; 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; hidebound, narrow-minded, rigid; bloody-minded [chiefly British], cantankerous; contrary, cussed; contumacious, disobedient, froward, insubordinate, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory, uncooperative, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly; defiant, insurgent, mutinous; indomitable, invincible, unconquerable; confirmed, inveterate, unregenerate; demanding, exactingNear Antonyms docile, obedient, placable, submissive, tractable; accepting, persuadable, receptive, responsive, willing; governable, manageable, reasonable, temperate; slavish, subservientAntonyms acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, compliant, complying, flexible, pliable, pliant, relenting, yielding

12 restricted to or based on fact that newscast is strictly devoted to hard news, as the producers prefer to leave the gossip to others Synonyms documentary, factual, historical, literal, matter-of-fact, nonfictional, objective, trueRelated Words actual, authentic, bona fide, genuine, real, right; documented, established; confirmable, reliable, supportable, sustainable, verifiable; demonstrable, provable; incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, irrefutable, undeniable, unquestionable; plain, simple; certain, undoubtedNear Antonyms hypothetical, speculative, theoretical (also theoretic); apocryphal, unauthentic, undocumented; chimerical (also chimeric), fabulous, fanciful, fantastic (also fantastical), imaginary, imagined, invented, legendary, made-up, make-believe, mythical (or mythic), pretend; embroidered, exaggerated; insupportable, unsupportableAntonyms fictional, fictionalized, fictitious, nondocumentary, nonfactual, nonhistorical, unhistorical

1 with great effort or determination we took a much-needed break after working hard all week a hard-won victory Synonyms amain, arduously, assiduously, determinedly, diligently, doggedly, hardly, industriously, intensely, intensively, intently, laboriously, mightily, purposefully, resolutely, sedulously, slavishly, strenuously Related Words actively, animatedly, briskly, busily, dynamically, energetically, feverishly, spiritedly, vehemently, vigorously, zealously; continuously, ploddingly, steadfastly, steadily, unabatedly, unrelentingly, unremittingly; ardently, attentively, conscientiously, earnestly, exhaustively, meticulously, painstakingly, seriously, thoroughly; indefatigably, tirelessly, unflaggingly, untiringly, wearilessly; obstinately, stubbornly, willfully Near Antonyms casually, desultorily, halfheartedly, indolently, lackadaisically, languidly, lazily, listlessly, shiftlessly, sluggishly, spiritlessly, tiredly, wearily

2 with feelings of bitterness or grief took the news of their grandfather's death hard Synonyms agonizingly, bitterly, dolefully, dolorously, grievously, hardly, inconsolably, lugubriously, mournfully, painfully, plaintively, regretfully, resentfully, ruefully, sadly, sorely, sorrowfully, unhappily, wailfully, woefully, wretchedly Related Words abjectly, cheerlessly, crestfallenly, dejectedly, despairingly, despondently, disconsolately, dispiritedly, downheartedly, low-spiritedly; blackly, darkly, dismally, distressfully, distressingly, dourly, drearily, forlornly, gloomily, glumly, joylessly, mirthlessly, miserably, morosely, pessimistically, somberly, sullenly; acutely, harshly, keenly, piercingly, poignantly, severely, sharply; cruelly, hurtfully, ill, rancorously Near Antonyms cheerfully, cheerily, delightedly, gaily (also gayly), gleefully, good-naturedly, lightheartedly, merrily, mirthfully, rejoicingly, sunnily; blithely, blithesomely, calmly, casually, dispassionately, easily, impassively, indifferently, lightly, nonchalantly, stoically, unconcernedly; favorably, well Antonyms blissfully, gladly, happily, joyfully, joyously

3 in a vigorous and forceful manner hit the ball hard, causing it to soar out of bounds the wind blew hard all day Synonyms dynamically, energetically, explosively, firmly, forcefully, forcibly, mightily, muscularly, powerfully, roundly, stiffly, stoutly, strenuously, strongly, sturdily, vigorously Related Words fiercely, hammer and tongs, robustly, roughshod, sharply, vehemently, violently; actively, animatedly, briskly, crisply, eagerly, gamely, heartily, lustily, snappily, spiritedly, spunkily, vivaciously; decidedly, determinedly, directly, emphatically, fast, fixedly, intensively, intently, purposefully, resolutely, rigidly, smartly, solidly, soundly, squarely, steadfastly, steadily, sturdily, surely; aggressively, assertively, manfully, potently Phrases like gangbusters, to beat the band, with a vengeance, with might and main Near Antonyms delicately, faintly, frailly, shakily; bloodlessly, halfheartedly, languidly, lazily, listlessly, spiritlessly; impotently, ineffectively, ineffectually, lamely, nervelessly, spinelessly, uncertainly Antonyms feebly, gently, softly, weakly

4 at, within, or to a short distance or time the groom stood hard by, ready to help, as the lady mounted the skittish horse Synonyms around, by, close, near, in, nearby, nighRelated Words hereabouts (or hereabout), hereaway (or hereaways) [dialect], thereabouts (also thereabout); along, alongside; accessibly, conveniently, handily

5 in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering the dog had been treated hard by his previous owner Synonyms brutally, hardly, harshly, ill, oppressively, roughly, severely, sternly, stifflyRelated Words callously, cold-bloodedly, hard-heartedly, heartlessly, inhumanely, inhumanly, insensately, insensitively, mercilessly, obdurately, pitilessly, ruthlessly, tyrannically, uncharitably, unfeelingly, unmercifully, unsparingly; abusively, brutishly, savagely, viciously; aggressively, assertively, decidedly, determinedly, firmly, grimly, gruffly, resolutely, strongly, toughlyNear Antonyms benevolently, benignantly, considerately, cordially, graciously, kindly, lovingly, tenderly; charitably, compassionately, humanely, mercifully, softheartedly, sympathetically, tolerantly, understandinglyAntonyms clemently, gently, leniently, lightly, mildly, softly