INDEX:
1. when something does not change its shape or bend
2. food
3. to become hard or make something hard
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SOFT
hard to do or understand : ↑ DIFFICULT
having no sympathy : ↑ UNKIND
treating someone strictly : ↑ STRICT/NOT STRICT
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1. when something does not change its shape or bend
▷ hard /hɑːʳd/ [adjective]
▪ That night I had to sleep on a hard stone floor.
▪ I wish this chair wasn’t so hard and uncomfortable.
▪ Diamond is probably the hardest substance known to man.
▪ As people age, their skin becomes harder and less supple.
rock- hard
very hard
▪ After several weeks without rain, the ground was rock-hard.
as hard as something
▪ A tiled floor in the kitchen is as hard as stone, and very cold beneath your feet.
hardness [uncountable noun]
▪ The hardness of limestone varies depending on the area in which it is found.
▷ solid /ˈsɒlɪd, ˈsɒlədǁˈsɑː-/ [adjective]
something that is solid is made of thick hard material, is not hollow, and is difficult to damage or break :
▪ The door was made of solid steel.
▪ During winter the lake became a solid block of ice.
▷ firm /fɜːʳm/ [adjective]
something that is firm is not completely hard, but does not change shape much when you press it - use this about things that are sometimes soft, for example fruit, muscles, or the ground :
▪ I find I sleep better on a firm mattress.
▪ These exercises are good for making your stomach muscles nice and firm.
▷ stiff /stɪf/ [adjective]
something that is stiff keeps its shape and is not easy to bend :
▪ To make the picture, you will need a sheet of stiff card.
▪ The collar of his shirt felt stiff and uncomfortable.
go stiff
British
▪ The sheets outside on the washing line had gone stiff in the frost.
▷ rigid /ˈrɪdʒɪd, ˈrɪdʒəd/ [adjective]
a material that is rigid is difficult or impossible to bend, and is often used to support something else :
▪ The tent is made of strong canvas attached to a rigid frame.
▪ Spoon the ice-cream into a rigid plastic container and freeze.
2. food
▷ hard /hɑːʳd/ [adjective]
food that is hard is difficult to bite through and not nice to eat :
▪ I’ve cooked the potatoes for half an hour but they still seem a bit hard.
▪ That candy was so hard I nearly broke a tooth.
go hard
▪ Keep the cake in a tin, to prevent it from going hard.
▷ tough /tʌf/ [adjective]
food, especially meat, that is tough is difficult to cut or eat, for example because it is too old or has been cooked for too long :
▪ The chicken was very tough, as though it had not been freshly cooked that day.
▪ You can throw away the tough outer leaves of the cabbage.
▷ crunchy /ˈkrʌntʃi/ [adjective]
food that is crunchy is firm and fresh, and makes a noise when you bite it :
▪ Children love crunchy breakfast cereals and they’re full of vitamins too.
▪ For lunch I usually have something simple, with a fresh crunchy salad.
▷ crisp /crispy /krɪsp, ˈkrɪspi/ [adjective]
food, especially fruit or vegetables, that is crisp is firm and fresh, or has been cooked until it is quite hard and slightly brown :
▪ a delicious crisp green apple
▪ You can serve the chicken with a crispy stir fry of mixed vegetables.
▪ Bake the pastry at 180 for about twenty minutes until crisp and golden.
▷ firm /fɜːʳm/ [adjective]
fruit or vegetables that are firm are not soft when you press them :
▪ Buy peaches that are quite firm, as they ripen very quickly indoors.
▪ For this recipe you will need six firm tomatoes.
3. to become hard or make something hard
▷ harden /ˈhɑːʳdn/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ The glue needs about 24 hours to harden.
▪ Steel is hardened by heating it to a very high temperature.
harden into/to
▪ Much of the mountain consists of volcanic ash, long since hardened to jagged rock.
▷ solidify /səˈlɪdɪfaɪ, səˈlɪdəfaɪ/ [intransitive verb]
if a liquid such as melted metal or wax solidifies, it becomes hard :
▪ Tools are made by pouring liquid metal into a mould and allowing it to cool and solidify.
▪ As the lava flowed down the volcano it solidified, forming strange shapes.
▷ set /set/ [intransitive verb]
if a liquid substance sets, it becomes harder - use this to talk about something that slowly becomes harder after it is mixed with water, for example, food or building materials :
▪ Put the jelly in the fridge for an hour to set.
▪ The concrete will take several hours to set, so make sure no one walks on it.
▷ freeze /friːz/ [intransitive verb]
if a liquid freezes, it becomes hard because it has become very cold :
▪ The water in the lake used to freeze most winters, and then it was good for skating.
be frozen solid
▪ Hey! The milk’s frozen solid!
▷ stiffen /ˈstɪf ə n/ [transitive verb]
to make something stiffer and harder :
▪ Point your toes and stiffen the muscles in your legs.
▪ You can stiffen curtain fabric by using a special liquid solution.