Hardness Meaning
/ˈhɑɹdnəs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe quality of being hard.
nounAn instance of this quality; hardship.
Sentence Examples
The hardness of diamond is such that it can cut glass.
The hardness of diamond is 10.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the diamond makes it useful for cutting other materials.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of a diamond makes it one of the most durable and valuable gemstones in the world.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English hardness, hardnesse, from Old English heardnes, from heard + -nes, equivalent to hard + -ness.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Who can number the cloudes in wiſedom? or who can ſtay the bottles of heauen, / When the duſt groweeh^([sic – meaning groweth]) into hardneſſe and the clods cleaue faſt together?"
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 38:37–38:
"“This material has a specific hardness and is chemically very stable. It forms naturally from calcium alone, but bacteria accelerate the transformation into calcium carbonate,” explains Alejandro Montesinos, head of the Decarbonization, Climate Change, and Circular Economy Research Group at Tec de Monterrey and a member of the Institute of Advanced Materials and Sustainable Manufacturing."
— 2024 August 6, Ricardo Treviño, “Self-Healing Concrete Help Buildings Seal Themselves”, in TecScience, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2025:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the diamond makes it useful for cutting other materials.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of a diamond makes it one of the most durable and valuable gemstones in the world.