hard

1. adjective

1)

hard ground

Syn:

firm, solid, rigid, stiff, resistant, unbreakable, inflexible, impenetrable, unyielding, solidified, hardened, compact, compacted, dense, close-packed, compressed; steely, tough, strong, stony, rocklike, flinty, as hard as stone; frozen; literary adamantine

Ant:

soft

2)

hard physical work

Syn:

arduous, strenuous, tiring, fatiguing, exhausting, wearying, back-breaking, grueling, heavy, laborious; difficult, taxing, exacting, testing, challenging, demanding, punishing, tough, formidable, onerous, rigorous, uphill, Herculean; informal murderous, killing, hellish; formal exigent; archaic toilsome

Ant:

easy

3)

hard workers

Syn:

diligent, hard-working, industrious, sedulous, assiduous, conscientious, energetic, keen, enthusiastic, zealous, earnest, persevering, persistent, unflagging, untiring, indefatigable; studious

Ant:

lazy

4)

a hard problem

Syn:

difficult, puzzling, perplexing, baffling, bewildering, mystifying, knotty, thorny, problematic, complicated, complex, intricate, involved; insoluble, unfathomable, impenetrable, incomprehensible, unanswerable

Ant:

simple

5)

times are hard

Syn:

harsh, grim, difficult, bad, bleak, dire, tough, austere, unpleasant, uncomfortable, straitened, spartan; dark, distressing, painful, awful

Ant:

comfortable

6)

a hard taskmaster

Syn:

strict, harsh, firm, severe, stern, tough, rigorous, demanding, exacting; callous, unkind, unsympathetic, cold, heartless, hard-hearted, unfeeling; intransigent, unbending, uncompromising, inflexible, implacable, stubborn, obdurate, unyielding, unrelenting, unsparing, grim, ruthless, merciless, pitiless, cruel; standing no nonsense, ruling with a rod of iron

Ant:

kind, easygoing

7)

a hard winter

Syn:

bitterly cold, cold, bitter, harsh, severe, bleak, freezing, icy, icy-cold, arctic

Ant:

mild

8)

a hard blow

Syn:

forceful, heavy, strong, sharp, smart, violent, powerful, vigorous, mighty, hefty, tremendous

Ant:

light, gentle

9)

hard facts

Syn:

reliable, definite, true, confirmed, substantiated, undeniable, indisputable, unquestionable, verifiable

Ant:

unverified, questionable

10)

hard cider

Syn:

alcoholic, strong, intoxicating, potent; formal spirituous

Ant:

nonalcoholic

11)

hard drugs

Syn:

addictive, habit-forming; strong, harmful

2. adverb

1)

George pushed the door hard

Syn:

forcefully, forcibly, roughly, powerfully, strongly, heavily, sharply, vigorously, energetically, with all one's might, with might and main

Ant:

gently

2)

they worked hard

Syn:

diligently, industriously, assiduously, conscientiously, sedulously, busily, enthusiastically, energetically, doggedly, steadily; informal like mad, like crazy

3)

this prosperity has been hard won

Syn:

with difficulty, with effort, after a struggle, painfully, laboriously

Ant:

easily

4)

her death hit him hard

Syn:

severely, badly, acutely, deeply, keenly, seriously, profoundly, gravely; formal grievously

Ant:

slightly

5)

it was raining hard

Syn:

heavily, strongly, in torrents, in sheets; steadily; informal cats and dogs, buckets

Ant:

lightly

6)

my mother looked hard at me

Syn:

closely, attentively, intently, critically, carefully, keenly, searchingly, earnestly, sharply

Ant:

casually

•

- hard and fast

- hard by

- hard feelings

- hard up

••

hard, arduous, difficult, laborious, trying

For the student who doesn't read well, homework is hard work, which means that it demands great physical or mental effort. An English assignment to write an essay might be particularly difficult, meaning that it not only requires effort but skill. Where hard suggests toil, difficult emphasizes complexity (a difficult math problem). Memorizing long lists of vocabulary words would be laborious, which is even more restrictive than hard and suggests prolonged, wearisome toil with no suggestion of the skill required and no reference to the complexity of the task. Reading War and Peace, however, would be an arduous task, because it would require a persistent effort over a long period of time. A school assignment may be difficult, but is usually not arduous; that is, it may require skill rather than perseverance. It may also be arduous without being particularly difficult, as when a student is asked to write "I will not throw spitballs" five hundred times. A student who is new to a school may find it especially trying, which implies that it taxes the individual's patience, skill, or capabilities.