Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated,
sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one
position to another; – said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g
in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc.

Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as,
a hard tone.

Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or
consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust;
grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard
conditions or terms.

Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider.

Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding;
obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard
heart; hard words; a hard character.

Difficult to resist or control; powerful.

Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily
apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem.

Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not
yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; – applied to material
bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.

Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious;
fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure.

Not easy or agreeable to the taste; stiff; rigid;
ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style.