hard-core

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈkȯr How to pronounce hard-core (audio)
Definition of hard-corenext
as in deep
firmly established over time the hard-core habits that generate our mountains of trash everyday will be extremely difficult to change

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 hard-core These are not social Democrats, these are hard-core, godless communists. — CBS News, 28 June 2026 The chugging and churning riffs of the Swedish hard-core band’s breakout song once used to echo the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the kitchen. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 Last year’s Superman was divisive among the hardcore fandom but grossed a very respectable $619 million worldwide, kicking off the new era of DC Studios under co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran on a promising note. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026 The weekend-afternoon sales events became a phenomenon, drawing crowds to marvel at his wide-ranging tastes — not just hardcore music geeks or bibliophiles, but appreciators of New York cultural lore. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hard-core
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-core
  1. deep
  2. inveterate
  3. lifelong
  4. entrenched
  5. inherent
  6. rooted
Adjective
  • Many of his supporters harbor deep frustration and anger at the American for-profit healthcare system.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Not to be cheated in front of the largest assembly of Hall of Famers since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Schwarber flew out twice to deep center field.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deep
Adjective
  • In the guest section, apparently at the invitation of one of the liberal Justices, sat Robert De Niro, an inveterate Trump critic.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The inveterate white supremacist Woodrow Wilson mouthed anti-colonial rhetoric before reverting to form at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
Definition of inveterate
Adjective
  • Infants with the condition may have lifelong complications and may need a heart transplant if the defect is complex, or if the heart weakens after surgery, according to the federal health agency.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • On Peacock’s Married at First Sight, singles ready to find a lifelong partner take the ultimate leap of faith by marrying a complete stranger in the hope of building a real future together.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of lifelong
Adjective
  • Armored tanks first played a useful role in helping break through entrenched battlefield lines during the final years of World War I more than a century ago.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • For now, though, soccer’s civil war appears to be heading toward an entrenched standoff of ideas and values.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of entrenched
Adjective
  • Reviewers especially love their structured design, one of the hallmarks of a more durable, tight weave that lends the style its inherent stability.
    — Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • While an option like the orange-and-white stripe accentuates the sofa’s inherent whimsy, it’d be easy to achieve a more serious look with one of the solid-colored upholstery options.
    — Alyssa Marino Williams, Architectural Digest, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of inherent
Adjective
  • His visual style is simultaneously very contemporary but also deeply rooted in that old tradition — so there is something extremely fresh about it.
    — Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 9 Aug. 2026
  • But for many fans, the most memorable summer tennis moments will stay rooted in Cincinnati.
    — Hanlon Walsh, Midwest Living, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of rooted

Browse Nearby Words

hardcase
hard-core
hardcover
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hard-core.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-core. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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