- (of a circuit or instruction) permanently wired into a computer, replacing separate software
- (of human behaviour) innate; not learned: humans have a hard-wired ability for acquiring language
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hard-wired
(härd′wīərd′),USA pronunciation adj.
- Computing
- built into a computer's hardware and thus not readily changed.
- (of a terminal) connected to a computer by a direct circuit rather than through a switching network.
- Electronics, Electricity(of electrical or electronic components) connected by hardwiring.
- Animal Behaviorpertaining to or being an intrinsic and relatively unmodifiable behavior pattern:Every cricket has a hard-wired pattern of chirps.
- 1970–75
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hard-wired adj