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hard

adjective (SEVERE)
 
 
/hɑːd/ US  /hɑːrd/

Definition

B2 not pleasant or gentle; severe: You have to be quite hard to succeed in the property business. Ooh, you're a hard woman, Elaine! Our boss has been giving us all a hard time at work (= making our time at work difficult).Severe be hard on sb B2 to criticize someone severely, or to treat them unfairly: Don't be too hard on him - he's new to the job.Severe hardness
 
 
/-nəs/ noun [U]
These alloys are characterized by their extreme hardness.Hard and firmWater in general
(Definition of hard adjective (SEVERE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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