1
as in hardship
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal
the test questions were rated for hardness, a rating of five indicating the most difficult
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in severity
the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism)
the aunt's hardness gradually crumbled under the influence of the little orphan's endearing ways
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardness
One involved the radiation hardness of silicon sensors at cryogenic temperatures, referred to in physics as the Lazarus effect.
—
Liz Wegerer, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Feb. 2026
Diamond grit is used by industrial manufacturers — including in the semiconductor, automotive and energy sectors — for its hardness properties.
—Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
As his younger, more romantic self, that hardness never quite goes away.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Known for its hardness and high melting point, petalite is already valued in heat- and scratch-resistant glass and ceramics.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardness
Liz Wegerer, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Feb. 2026
Diamond grit is used by industrial manufacturers — including in the semiconductor, automotive and energy sectors — for its hardness properties.
—Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
As his younger, more romantic self, that hardness never quite goes away.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Known for its hardness and high melting point, petalite is already valued in heat- and scratch-resistant glass and ceramics.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardness
Noun
-
Economic hardship and devaluations of the rial were key factors behind major anti-government protests at the start of the year.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
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The government says the hardship is the consequence of an unjust war inflicted on Iranians by the US and Israel.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Despite the severity of the South Carolina outbreak, Edwards considers the public health response a success.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
29 Apr. 2026
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The actual severity of any shortcomings at OpenAI and how far any weaknesses could spread remain open questions, Yardeni said.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The 18th Street Station has a lot of stairs, so passengers with difficulty using stairs should use the McCormick Place station.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Low-mass stars such as red dwarfs vastly outnumber high-mass stars, a distribution astronomers call the 'initial mass function', but why this should be weighted towards lower-mass stars is uncertain — and certainly not helped by the difficulties in observing their growth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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