hardy

Everyday

1. Strong and able to live through hard conditions such as cold, wind or little food, as in «hardy sheep». tree →
2. (plants) Able to survive winter frost outdoors, as in «a hardy plant». tree →
3. Brave and tough, as in «a few hardy swimmers went into the icy sea». tree →
4. (a name) Hardy is a surname, as in the writer Thomas Hardy. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about adaptation, hardy animals and plants survive in tough habitats such as mountains and tundra. In gardening, «hardy» plants stay outside in winter. In stories and on the news, «hardy» people swim on Christmas Day or camp in the snow.

Examples

• Highland cattle are hardy animals that live outside all winter. tree →
• Pansies are hardy flowers. tree →
• A few hardy fans stayed despite the rain. tree →
• The hardiest plants grow high up on mountains. tree →
• Only hardy souls go swimming in the sea in January. tree →
• Thomas Hardy wrote novels about the countryside. tree →
• The pomegranate seed from Spain became a hardy plant on the coast of West Jutland. tree →

Note

Comparative «hardier», superlative «hardiest». Not the same as «hard» (solid, difficult) or «hearty» (warm, big, as in «a hearty meal»).