More difficult, demanding greater effort or skill. Can also mean more solid, firm, or resistant to pressure than something else.
Comparative form of 'hard', from Old English 'heard' meaning 'solid, firm, not soft'. The metaphorical sense of difficulty developed from the physical sense of resistance to pressure or penetration.
The transition from physical hardness to difficulty is found in many languages, suggesting a universal human tendency to conceptualize abstract challenges in terms of physical resistance. Diamonds are the hardest natural substance, but synthetic materials can now exceed their hardness.
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