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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hardness
Test strips were again used to evaluate the hardness of the water once the testing period concluded.
—
Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Nov. 2024
Quantum annealing: This term is borrowed from annealing, a process that uses heat to alter the physical or chemical properties of a metal, glass, or plastic film to increase ductility and reduce hardness.
—Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2024
Consider Your Water's Hardness Level Water hardness also plays a role in when your sink should be cleaned.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2025
Water hardness is determined by the amount of minerals present in your water.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardness
Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Nov. 2024
Quantum annealing: This term is borrowed from annealing, a process that uses heat to alter the physical or chemical properties of a metal, glass, or plastic film to increase ductility and reduce hardness.
—Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2024
Consider Your Water's Hardness Level Water hardness also plays a role in when your sink should be cleaned.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2025
Water hardness is determined by the amount of minerals present in your water.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardness
Noun
-
Surrounded by unpredictability and hardship, one certainty remains for Herzallah: that if help is given, Palestinians can rebuild.—
Camilla Alcini,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Her great-grandmom’s sudden death due to the then untreatable disease tuberculosis caused all those hardships.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Matthew Tkachuk’s injury Of utmost importance for the Panthers now that the tournament has concluded: Figuring out the severity of Matthew Tkachuk’s lower-body injury that hobbled him for most of the tournament.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Rivers told reporters that the risk of the appeal being unsuccessful and the suspension then ending later in the season was too great of a risk, even if the team disagreed with the severity of the punishment.—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
If the firm backing the ETN has financial difficulties, the note might not be paid in full.—
Bob Carlson,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell admitted to having difficulties with superspeedway-style racing earlier in his career but credited his team's hard work for the successful adjustments.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardness. Accessed 8 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share