Hard vs. Hardly — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 26, 2024
Hard describes toughness or resistance, emphasizing strength or difficulty, whereas hardly suggests scarcity or barely, often relating to quantity or degree.
Difference Between Hard and Hardly
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Hard refers to the physical toughness or the level of difficulty in accomplishing a task. It can describe materials that are difficult to break or a task that requires a lot of effort. On the other hand, hardly pertains to the minimal presence or degree of something, often indicating that it is almost not happening or existing.
Hard is also used to describe efforts or conditions that are challenging and require significant strength or endurance. Whereas, hardly is used in a context that emphasizes the lack of sufficiency or barely meeting a certain condition, often suggesting an almost negative state.
In terms of application, 'hard' can modify nouns and verbs, enriching descriptions of physical objects or the intensity of actions. Hardly, however, modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to denote a minimal degree or extent of the action or characteristic being described.
The usage of 'hard' often conveys a sense of achievement or resilience, highlighting the substantial effort or the robust nature of something. Conversely, 'hardly' implies a struggle to reach a basic level or the insignificance of an action or state, conveying a sense of insufficiency.
In expressions, 'hard' forms part of idioms and phrases that suggest perseverance (e.g., "hard work") or severity (e.g., "hard times"). Hardly appears in expressions that denote limitation or scarcity (e.g., "hardly ever"), emphasizing the minimal occurrence or impact.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Denoting toughness or difficulty.
Suggesting scarcity or barely.
Usage in Sentences
Used with nouns and verbs.
Used with verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Connotation
Often positive, implies strength or effort.
Generally negative, implies insufficiency.
Expressions
Part of idioms suggesting perseverance.
Used in phrases denoting limitation.
Examples
"Hard rock", "work hard"
"Hardly noticeable", "hardly ever"
Compare with Definitions
Hard
Thoroughly or intensely.
He's hard at work on the new project.
Hardly
Only just; almost not.
There's hardly any milk left.
Hard
With a great deal of force.
He hit the ball hard.
Hardly
With difficulty or effort.
She could hardly keep her eyes open.
Hard
Resistant to pressure or damage.
Diamonds are hard materials.
Hardly
Not at all (used to qualify a statement).
It's hardly surprising that he was late.
Hard
Severe or harsh in nature.
They faced hard times during the economic downturn.
Hardly
To a very small degree.
The outcome hardly matters.
Hard
Requiring a great deal of effort or endurance.
She trained hard for the marathon.
Hardly
Barely or scarcely.
I could hardly believe my eyes.
Hard
Solid, firm, and rigid; not easily broken, bent, or pierced
The slate broke on the hard floor
Rub the varnish down when it's hard
Hardly
To almost no degree; barely at all; almost not
I could hardly hear the speaker.
Hard
Done with a great deal of force or strength
A hard whack
Hardly
Probably or surely not
He is hardly the kind of guy you would want to date. It's hardly a secret that they are engaged.
Hard
Requiring a great deal of endurance or effort
Airship-flying was pretty hard work
She found it hard to believe that he could be involved
It's hard for drummers these days
Hardly
With great difficulty or effort
I could hardly get up the stairs.
Hard
(of information) reliable, especially because based on something true or substantiated
Hard facts about the underclass are maddeningly elusive
Hardly
With severity; harshly
"The winter months would deal hardly with many of these poor folk" (William Black).
Hard
Strongly alcoholic; denoting a spirit rather than beer or wine.
Hardly
(degree) Barely, only just, almost not.
They hardly ever watch television; I hardly think they'll come in this bad weather; it's hardly possible he could lose the election.
Hard
(of water) containing relatively high concentrations of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts, which make lathering difficult
Hard water requires much more soap, shampoo, or detergent than soft water
Hardly
With difficulty.
Hard
(of a consonant) pronounced as a velar plosive (as c in cat, g in go).
Hardly
Harshly, severely; in a hard manner.
Hard
With a great deal of effort
They work hard at school
Hardly
Firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion.
Hard
So as to be solid or firm
The mortar has set hard
Hardly
Not really.
I think the Beatles are a really overrated band. ― Hardly!
Hard
To the fullest extent possible
Put the wheel hard over to starboard
Hardly
In a hard or difficult manner; with difficulty.
Recovering hardly what he lost before.
Hard
A road leading down across a foreshore.
Hardly
Unwillingly; grudgingly.
The House of Peers gave so hardly their consent.
Hard
Resistant to pressure; not readily penetrated; firm or solid
A hard material.
Hardly
Scarcely; barely; not quite; not wholly.
Hardly shall you find any one so bad, but he desires the credit of being thought good.
Hard
Well protected from an attack, as by aerial bombardment
Bunkers and other hard targets.
Hardly
Severely; harshly; roughly.
He has in many things been hardly used.
Hard
Requiring great effort or endurance
A hard assignment.
Hardly
Confidently; hardily.
Hard
Performed with or marked by great diligence or energy
A project that required years of hard work.
Hardly
Certainly; surely; indeed.
Hard
Difficult to resolve, accomplish, or finish
That was a hard question.
Hardly
By a small margin;
They could barely hear the speaker
We hardly knew them
Just missed being hit
Had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open
Would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave
Hard
Difficult to understand or impart
Physics was the hardest of my courses. Thermodynamics is a hard course to teach.
Hardly
Almost not;
He hardly ever goes fishing
He was hardly more than sixteen years old
They scarcely ever used the emergency generator
Hard
Proceeding or performing with force, vigor, or persistence; assiduous
A hard worker.
Hard
Intense in force or degree
A hard blow.
Hard
Inclement or severe
A long, hard winter.
Hard
Stern, strict, or demanding
A hard taskmaster.
Hard
Lacking compassion or sympathy; callous
Became hard after years in prison.
Hard
Difficult to endure; causing hardship or suffering
A hard life.
Hard
Oppressive or unjust in nature or effect
Restrictions that were hard on welfare applicants.
Hard
Harsh or severe in effect or intention
I said some hard things that I regret.
Hard
Marked by stubborn refusal to compromise or yield; uncompromising
Drives a hard bargain.
Hard
Bitter or resentful
Hard feelings caused by the insult.
Hard
Showing disapproval, bitterness, or resentment
Gave me a hard look.
Hard
Causing damage or premature wear
Snow and ice are hard on a car's finish.
Hard
Bad; adverse
Hard luck.
Hard
Real and unassailable
Hard evidence.
Hard
Definite; firm
A hard commitment.
Hard
Free from illusion or sentimentality; practical or realistic
We need to take a hard look at the situation.
Hard
Using or based on data that are readily quantified or verified
The hard sciences.
Hard
Marked by sharp delineation or contrast
A hard line separating the two lists.
Hard
Lacking in shade; undiminished
The hard light of the midday sun.
Hard
Hardcore.
Hard
Being a turn in a specific direction at an angle more acute than other possible routes.
Hard
Metallic, as opposed to paper. Used of currency.
Hard
Backed by bullion rather than by credit. Used of currency.
Hard
High and stable. Used of prices.
Hard
Durable; lasting
Hard merchandise.
Hard
Written or printed rather than stored in electronic media
Sent the information by hard mail.
Hard
Having high alcoholic content; intoxicating
Hard liquor.
Hard
Rendered alcoholic by fermentation; fermented
Hard cider.
Hard
Containing dissolved salts that interfere with the lathering action of soap or other cleansing agents. Used of water.
Hard
(Linguistics) Velar, as in c in cake or g in log, as opposed to palatal or soft.
Hard
(Physics) Of relatively high energy; penetrating
Hard x-rays.
Hard
High in gluten content
Hard wheat.
Hard
(Chemistry) Resistant to biodegradation
A hard detergent.
Hard
Extremely or dangerously addictive. Used of certain illegal drugs, such as heroin.
Hard
With strenuous effort; intently
Worked hard all day.
Stared hard at the accused criminal.
Hard
With great force, vigor, or energy
Pressed hard on the lever.
Hard
In such a way as to cause great damage or hardship
Industrial cities hit hard by unemployment.
Hard
With great distress, grief, or bitterness
Took the divorce hard.
Hard
Firmly; securely
Held hard to the railing.
Hard
Toward or into a solid condition
Concrete that sets hard within a day.
Hard
Near in space or time; close
The factory stands hard by the railroad tracks.
Hard
(Nautical) Completely; fully
Hard alee.
Hard
(of material or fluid) Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
Hard
Resistant to pressure.
This bread is so stale and hard, I can barely cut it.
Hard
(of drink or drugs) Strong.
Hard
(of a normally nonalcoholic drink) Containing alcohol.
Hard cider, hard lemonade, hard seltzer, hard soda
Hard
(of water) High in dissolved chemical salts, especially those of calcium.
Hard
Having the capability of being a permanent magnet by being a material with high magnetic coercivity (compare soft).
Hard
Having a high energy (high frequency; short wavelength).
Hard X-rays
Hard
Made up of parallel rays, producing clearly defined shadows.
Hard
(personal or social) Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
Hard
Difficult or requiring a lot of effort to do, understand, experience, or deal with.
A hard problem;
A hard question;
A hard topic
Hard
Demanding a lot of effort to endure.
A hard life
Hard
Severe, harsh, unfriendly, brutal.
A hard master;
A hard heart;
Hard words;
A hard character
The senator asked the party chief to put the hard word on his potential rivals.
Hard
(dated) Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
Hard
(military) Hardened; having unusually strong defences.
A hard site
Hard
(slang) Tough and muscular.
He thinks he's well hard.
Hard
Unquestionable, unequivocal.
Hard evidence;
A hard requirement
Hard
(of a road intersection) Having a comparatively larger or a ninety-degree angle.
At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the hard left.
Hard
(bodybuilding) Having muscles that are tightened as a result of intense, regular exercise.
Hard
Fortis.
Hard
Plosive.
There is a hard c in "clock" and a soft c in "centre".
Hard
Unvoiced.
Hard k, t, s, ch, as distinguished from soft, g, d, z, j.
Hard
(Slavic phonology) Velarized or plain, rather than palatalized.
Hard
(arts) Having a severe property; presenting a barrier to enjoyment.
Hard
Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
Hard
Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in colour or shading.
Hard
(uncomparable)
Hard
In a physical form, not digital.
A soft or hard copy; a digital or hard archive
Hard
Using a manual or physical process, not by means of a software command.
A hard reboot or reset
Hard
(politics) Far, extreme.
Hard right, hard left
Hard
Of silk: not having had the natural gum boiled off.
Hard
(finance) Of a market: having more demand than supply; being a seller's market.
Hard
(manner) With much force or effort.
He hit the puck hard up the ice.
They worked hard all week.
At the intersection, bear hard left.
The recession hit them especially hard.
Think hard about your choices.
The couple were fucking each other hard.
Hard
(manner) With difficulty.
His degree was hard earned.
Hard
(obsolete) So as to raise difficulties.
Hard
(manner) Compactly.
The lake had finally frozen hard.
Hard
Near, close.
Hard
A firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.
Hard
A tyre whose compound is softer than superhards, and harder than mediums.
Hard
Crack cocaine.
Hard
Hard labor.
The prisoners were sentenced to three years' hard.
Hard
Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; - applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.
Hard
Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem.
The hard causes they brought unto Moses.
In which are some things hard to be understood.
Hard
Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure.
Hard
Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
The stag was too hard for the horse.
A power which will be always too hard for them.
Hard
Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard conditions or terms.
I never could drive a hard bargain.
Hard
Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard heart; hard words; a hard character.
Hard
Not easy or agreeable to the taste; harsh; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style.
Figures harder than even the marble itself.
Hard
Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider.
Hard
Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; - said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc.
Hard
Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as, a hard tone.
Hard
Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
Hard
With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly.
And prayed so hard for mercy from the prince.
My fatherIs hard at study; pray now, rest yourself.
Hard
With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard.
Hard
Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly.
Hard
So as to raise difficulties.
Hard
With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically; as, to press, to blow, to rain hard; hence, rapidly; nimbly; as, to run hard.
Hard
Close or near.
Whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
Hard
To harden; to make hard.
Hard
A ford or passage across a river or swamp.
Hard
Not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure;
A difficult task
Nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access
Difficult times
A difficult child
Found himself in a difficult situation
Why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?
Hard
Metaphorically hard;
A hard fate
Took a hard look
A hard bargainer
A hard climb
Hard
Not yielding to pressure or easily penetrated;
Hard as rock
Hard
Very strong or vigorous;
Strong winds
A hard left to the chin
A knockout punch
A severe blow
Hard
Characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort;
Worked their arduous way up the mining valley
A grueling campaign
Hard labor
Heavy work
Heavy going
Spent many laborious hours on the project
Set a punishing pace
Hard
Of speech sounds
Hard
Of a drinker or drinking; indulging intemperately;
Does a lot of hard drinking
A heavy drinker
Hard
Having undergone fermentation;
Hard cider
Hard
Having a high alcoholic content;
Hard liquor
Hard
Unfortunate or hard to bear;
Had hard luck
A tough break
Hard
Dried out;
Hard dry rolls left over from the day before
Hard
With effort or force or vigor;
The team played hard
Worked hard all day
Pressed hard on the lever
Hit the ball hard
Slammed the door hard
Hard
With firmness;
Held hard to the railing
Hard
Earnestly or intently;
Thought hard about it
Stared hard at the accused
Hard
Causing great damage or hardship;
Industries hit hard by the depression
She was severely affected by the bank's failure
Hard
Slowly and with difficulty;
Prejudices die hard
Hard
Indulging excessively;
He drank heavily
Hard
Into a solid condition;
Concrete that sets hard within a few hours
Hard
Very near or close in space or time;
It stands hard by the railroad tracks
They were hard on his heels
A strike followed hard upon the plant's opening
Hard
With pain or distress or bitterness;
He took the rejection very hard
Hard
To the full extent possible; all the way;
Hard alee
The ship went hard astern
Swung the wheel hard left
Common Curiosities
What does 'hard' imply in a physical context?
'Hard' implies resistance to force or pressure, indicating toughness.
Can 'hard' have a positive connotation?
Yes, 'hard' can be positive, indicating resilience, effort, or strength.
How is 'hard' used to describe effort?
'Hard' describes significant effort or intensity in action.
What's the difference in application between 'hard' and 'hardly'?
'Hard' modifies nouns and verbs for toughness or effort, while 'hardly' modifies verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to express minimal degree.
Can 'hardly' be used to describe effort?
'Hardly' describes minimal effort or presence, often indicating insufficiency.
Is 'hardly' positive or negative?
'Hardly' often carries a negative connotation, suggesting scarcity or insufficiency.
Can 'hard' and 'hardly' be used interchangeably?
No, they have different meanings and usages.
What type of tasks does 'hard' describe?
Tasks that require a lot of effort or pose significant challenges.
How do 'hard' and 'hardly' differ in expressions?
'Hard' appears in expressions about perseverance or severity, 'hardly' in those about limitation or scarcity.
How does 'hardly' affect the meaning of a sentence?
It often minimizes the extent or presence of something, indicating barely or scarcely.
In what contexts is 'hardly' commonly used?
In contexts emphasizing minimal presence, effort, or degree.
What emotions might 'hard' evoke?
It can evoke feelings of respect for toughness or perseverance.
What does 'hard' say about material properties?
It indicates that a material is tough or difficult to damage.
Does 'hardly' ever mean 'with difficulty'?
Yes, it can imply something was achieved or noted with difficulty.
What is the impact of using 'hardly' in a statement?
It can diminish the statement's strength, suggesting something is almost not true or significant.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
