Home US English be hard on

Definition of be hard on in English:

be hard on

phrase

  • 1Treat or criticize (someone) severely.

    ‘you're being too hard on her’
    • ‘Critics have been hard on what they believe to be unnecessary extravagance during a time of war.’
    • ‘But Nolan says the critics have been hard on his fellow Liverpudlian.’
    • ‘He was a severe looking man who was known to be hard on his students.’
    • ‘It's always difficult to be hard on someone you love.’
    • ‘If it appears that I'm being hard on men, it is because I think I must.’
    • ‘It was more difficult than before to be hard on her.’
    • ‘He was hard on Franka, harder on her than anyone he had ever instructed.’
    • ‘‘As you progress,’ Jenas reflects, ‘you look back and see why people were hard on you.’’
    • ‘I was very effeminate as a child and my mother was hard on me for it, which left me with scars that I'm still working through.’
    • ‘He could be vile to his dancers and Sally was hard on me.’

  • 2Be difficult for or unfair to.

    ‘I think the war must have been hard on her’
    • ‘That must have been hard on the daughter when the mother is with someone you hate.’
    • ‘You went through those couple of months that must have been hard on you and your family.’
    • ‘His mother died… that must have been hard on him.’
    • ‘It must have been hard on her to have to watch someone else doing her job and on top of that doing it badly, but she never said anything about it.’
    • ‘It must be hard on her, because, if I know her, she'll be feeling responsible for her actions.’
    • ‘For those of non-western cultures, the difficulty in getting a job is hard on them not only economically, but also psychologically.’
    • ‘My mother was a teacher, so she basically had to redo her qualifications, and Dad did a lot of travelling, so it was hard on her.’
    • ‘It was hard on the kids because they like to spend time with Steve.’
    • ‘‘I'm concerned about being away from my family and it is hard on them.’
    • ‘Dealing with a troubled sibling is hard on the whole family.’

  • 3Be likely to hurt or damage.

    ‘the monitor flickers, which is hard on the eyes’
    • ‘Since the magazine steel is very hard, cutting was hard on tools until they found a shop that could do it with a laser.’
    • ‘Now I've changed the colour scheme, since some people mentioned that a white-on-dark design was hard on their eyes.’
    • ‘Hanging on to the vine was hard on the hands and often produced blisters, despite the fact that our hands were well hardened with farm work.’
    • ‘Yet the work was hard on her hands, which bled regularly from cuts of the knives and grinder.’
    • ‘Several members had a go at plaiting straw with good results but said it was hard on the fingers.’
    • ‘Flying is hard on your body and you have to make sure you're getting your rest, getting your fluids, and taking care of yourself.’
    • ‘Seaside salt wind is hard on its façades; its weather-beaten face is always in need of another coat of slap.’
    • ‘My family thinks that it is a good profession, but difficult, because it is hard on your body.’
    • ‘It must have been hard on the hands. ‘Not really,’ says Brooks, ‘it was the changing gear that could hurt.’’
    • ‘Formic acid, for example, must be handled with care and can be hard on some equipment.’