Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for HARD
HARD, a. [Sax. heard; Goth. hardu; D. hard; G. hart; Dan. haard; Sw. hård. The primary sense is, pressed.]
- 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.
- Difficult; not easy to the intellect. In which are some things hard to be understood. 2 Pet. iii. The hard causes they brought to Moses. Ex. xviii.
- 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. xviii.
- Full of difficulties or obstacles; not easy to be traveled; as, a hard way. Milton.
- Painful; difficult; distressing. Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. Gen. xxxv.
- Laborious; fatiguing; attended with difficulty or pain, or both; as, hard work or labor; hard duty; hard service.
- Oppressive; rigorous; severe; cruel; as, hard bondage; a hard master. Ex. i. Is. xiv.
- Unfeeling; insensible; not easily moved by pity; not susceptible of kindness, mercy or other tender affections; as, a hard heart.
- Severe; harsh; rough; abusive. Have you given him any hard words of late? Shak.
- Unfavorable; unkind; implying blame of another; as, hard thoughts.
- Severe; rigorous; oppressive. The enemy was compelled to submit to hard terms. So we say, a hard bargain; hard conditions.
- Unreasonable; unjust. It is hard to punish a man for speculative opinions. It is a hard case.
- Severe; pinching with cold; rigorous; tempestuous; as, a hard winter; hard weather.
- Powerful; forcible; urging; pressing close on. The stag was too hard for the horse. L'Estrange. The disputant was too hard for his antagonist. Anon.
- Austere; rough; acid; sour; as liquors. The cider is hard.
- Harsh; stiff; forced; constrained; unnatural. Others – make the figures harder than the marble itself. Dryden. His diction is hard, his figures too bold. Dryden.
- Not plentiful; not prosperous; pressing; distressing; as, hard times, when markets are bad, and money of course scarce.
- Avaricious; difficult in making bargains; close. Matth. xxv.
- Rough; of coarse features; as, a hard face or countenance.
- Austere; severe; rigorous.
- Rude; unpolished or unintelligible. A people of hard language. Ezek. iii.
- Coarse; unpalatable or scanty; as, hard fare.
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