- having or demanding a tough constitution; robust
- bold; courageous
- foolhardy; rash
- (of plants) able to live out of doors throughout the winter
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
har•dy1 /ˈhɑrdi/USA pronunciation
adj., -di•er, -di•est.
har•di•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- capable of continuing in spite of fatigue, hardship, exposure, etc.; sturdy:a hardy constitution.
- requiring great physical courage, vigor, or endurance:the hardiest sports.
- Botany(of plants) able to withstand the winter in the open air:a hardy shrub.
- bold or daring;
courageous:hardy explorers.
har•di•ness, n. [uncountable]
har•dy1
(här′dē),USA pronunciation adj., -di•er, -di•est.
har•dy2 (här′dē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -dies.
Har•dy (här′dē),USA pronunciation n.
- capable of enduring fatigue, hardship, exposure, etc.;
sturdy;
strong:hardy explorers of northern Canada. - Botany(of plants) able to withstand the cold of winter in the open air.
- requiring great physical courage, vigor, or endurance:the hardiest sports.
- bold or daring;
courageous:hardy soldiers. - unduly bold;
presumptuous;
foolhardy.
- Gmc; compare Gothic -hardjan, Old High German hartjan to harden
- Old French, past participle of *hardir to harden, make brave
- Middle English hardi 1175–1225
- 1. vigorous, robust, hale, stout, sound. 4. intrepid, resolute, brave.
- 1. weak. 4. timid.
har•dy2 (här′dē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -dies.
- Buildinga chisel or fuller with a square shank for insertion into a square hole (har′dy hole′) in a blacksmith's anvil.
- hard + -y2 1865–70
Har•dy (här′dē),USA pronunciation n.
- Biographical Godfrey Harold, 1877–1947, English mathematician.
- Biographical Oliver, 1892–1957, U.S. motion-picture comedian.
- Biographical Thomas, 1840–1928, English novelist and poet.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hardy /ˈhɑːdɪ/ adj ( -dier, -diest)
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Hardy /ˈhɑːdɪ/ n
- Thomas. 1840–1928, British novelist and poet. Most of his novels are set in his native Dorset (part of his fictional Wessex) and include Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895), after which his work consisted chiefly of verse
- Sir Thomas Masterman. 1769–1839, British naval officer, flag captain under Nelson (1799–1805): 1st Sea Lord (1830)
'hardy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-ard
- ass
- Ayrshire
- Beaton
- catananche
- crack
- Dartmoor
- Dorchester
- doughty
- Galloway
- garlic
- gritty
- half-hardy
- half-
- harden
- Hereford
- indurate
- Roach
- robust
- Romney Marsh
- rye
- the
- tough
- Waite
- Wessex
- yarran
- Appaloosa
- Bernard
- binomial law
- bird's-eye primrose
- cast iron
- celebrate
- Chewings fescue
- Clydesdale
- cup plant
- dexter
- Duroc
- fantail goldfish
- fit
- foolhardy
- hardihood
- hardily
- hardiment
- hardiness
- hardy ageratum
- Hardy-Weinberg law
- house sparrow
- Jude the Obscure
- lamb's ears
- Leonard