hard-core

1 of 2

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, or being part of a hard core
hard-core poverty
the hard-core unemployed
b
: confirmed, die-hard
hard-core rock fans
a hard-core liberal
2
of pornography : containing explicit descriptions of sex acts or scenes of actual sex acts compare soft-core
3
: characterized by or being the purest or most basic form of something : fundamental
a room gussied up in hard-core French provincial styleJohn Canaday

hard core

2 of 2

noun

1
: a central or fundamental and usually enduring group or part: such as
a
: a relatively small enduring core of society marked by apparent resistance to change or inability to escape a persistent wretched condition (such as poverty or chronic unemployment)
b
: a militant or fiercely loyal faction
2
usually hardcore chiefly British : hard material in pieces (such as broken bricks or stone) used as a bottom (as in making roads and in foundations)

Examples of hard-core in a Sentence

Noun He knows that he can count on the support of a hard core of party loyalists.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The filmmaker, a hard-core Dune fan himself who first read the books at 13-years-old, previously told EW that making cuts was one of the most difficult parts of bringing the story to life. Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Trump has extreme vulnerabilities outside his hard-core MAGA base, and that presents a real opportunity for Democrats this fall, Schwerin said. Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024 Yet even the hardiest of hard-core Marvel fans might have difficulty forming a serious attachment to something anchored by such slender threads. Brian Lowry, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 Today, the bare-bones base still attracts hard-core skiers who don’t mind using an outhouse and preparing meals on a camp stove. Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2024 And while some hard-core purists may wince, the demolition crew has been instructed to tear out the original brick pit. Jill Wendholt Silva, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 Steve and Carmine Boal, who founded Ankeny Republicans, aren’t hard-core DeSantis supporters. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 For decades, Kirschenbaum was the doyenne of hard-core opera buffs who populated the standing-room sections at the Met. Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 By today’s standard — i.e., hard-core internet pornography — bikini shoots and plunging necklines are tame, if not banal. Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 1 Jan. 2024
Noun
Those who remained on Shelter Island to look for scallops were the hard core, the romantics and the purists, for whom a fallow winter turns the search for scallops into something like a sacramental rite. Christopher Maag, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2024 By 2025, digital transactions will rule the B2B world, with B2B sales volumes touching spreading to hard core traditional industries. Sarwant Singh, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 The hard core malfeasance is unforgivable and the current Israeli genocide on top of all the other crimes, a game changer, The victimhood card has expired. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023 Steelers: Knowledgeable, hard core and travels everywhere with the team. Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 27 June 2023 Tical 2000 is state-of-the-art East Coast hardcore, with dirty beats and creepy sonics by the likes of Mobb Deep’s Havoc, Erick Sermon, and Wu visionary RZA. Chris Norris, SPIN, 27 June 2023 The band formed in 2009, and have been evolving their brand of caustic but deeply fun hardcore through a series of lineup changes. Zhenzhen Yu, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2023 What used to be the clinic’s waiting room now has a small stage where punk and hardcore bands come to play. Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023 Since then, even as so much else has happened, that hard core hasn’t shifted. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-core.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-core was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near hard-core

Cite this Entry

“Hard-core.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-core. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hard core

noun
1
: an unchanging and lasting central part
2
: a small number of aggressive members of a group
hard-core adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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