hardness
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being hard.
the hardness of ice.
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a relative degree or extent of this quality.
wood of a desirable hardness.
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that quality in water that is imparted by the presence of dissolved salts, especially calcium sulfate or bicarbonate.
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unfeelingness or jadedness; callousness.
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harshness or austerity, as of a difficult existence.
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South Midland U.S. ill will; bad feelings.
There's a lot of hardness between those two boys.
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Mineralogy. the comparative ability of a substance to scratch or be scratched by another.
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Metallurgy. the measured resistance of a metal to indention, abrasion, deformation, or machining.
noun
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the quality or condition of being hard
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one of several measures of resistance to indentation, deformation, or abrasion See Mohs scale Brinell hardness number
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the quality of water that causes it to impair the lathering of soap: caused by the presence of certain calcium salts. Temporary hardness can be removed by boiling whereas permanent hardness cannot
Etymology
Origin of hardness
First recorded before 900; Middle English hardnes, Old English heardnes; see hard, -ness
Vocabulary lists containing hardness
Earth Science - Middle School
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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Rocks and Minerals - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is a pas de deux of contrasts—roughness and polish, hardness and softness, danger and safety.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
The laser-leading method also struggled to maintain the hardness required for success.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
USC coach Lincoln Riley said after the Trojans’ victory in the Las Vegas Bowl, “There’s a toughness and a hardness that’s developing within this program.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2025
The time groundstaff have between county games is not sufficient to prepare and roll a pitch to the hardness of an international surface.
From BBC • Dec. 4, 2024
But after everything that’s happened, she realizes that her and Garrett’s survival requires the kind of aggressive hardness she usually reserves for the soccer field.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
