hardy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun United States slapstick comedian who played the pompous and overbearing member of the Laurel and Hardy duo who made many films (1892-1957)
    Oliver Hardy.
  2. noun English novelist and poet (1840-1928)
    Thomas Hardy.
  3. adjective satellite having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
    stalwart; stout; sturdy.
    • hardy explorers of northern Canada
    • proud of her tall stalwart son
    • stout seamen
    • sturdy young athletes
  4. adjective satellite able to survive under unfavorable weather conditions
    • strawberries are hardy and easy to grow
    • camels are tough and hardy creatures
  5. adjective satellite invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    brave; dauntless; fearless; audacious; intrepid; unfearing.
    • audacious explorers
    • fearless reporters and photographers
    • intrepid pioneers

WordNet

Har"dy adjective
Etymology
F.hardi, p. p. fr. OF. hardir to make bold; of German origin, cf. OHG. hertan to harden, G. härten. See Hard, a.
Wordforms
comparative Hardier ; superlative Hardiest
Definitions
  1. Bold; brave; stout; daring; resolu?e; intrepid.
    Hap helpeth hardy man alway. Chaucer.
  2. Confident; full of assurance; in a bad sense, morally hardened; shameless.
  3. Strong; firm; compact.
    [A] blast may shake in pieces his hardy fabric. South.
  4. Inured to fatigue or hardships; strong; capable of endurance; as, a hardy veteran; a hardy mariner.
  5. Able to withstand the cold of winter. ✍ Plants which are hardy in Virginia may perish in New England. Half-hardy plants are those which are able to withstand mild winters or moderate frosts.
Har"dy noun
Definitions
  1. A blacksmith's fuller or chisel, having a square shank for insertion into a square hole in an anvil, called the hardy hole.

Webster 1913