hardrock
hardrock Lexical Profile
hardrock Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or denoting mining conducted in solid, consolidated rock through tunneling, drilling, and blasting, as opposed to placer mining in loose sediment.
"Generations of hardrock miners worked deep beneath the mountain to extract silver and copper ore."
North American Tough, rugged, unyielding, or uncompromising in character or attitude.
"The veteran foreman had a hardrock demeanor that earned the respect of the entire construction crew."
• noun
Solid, compact rock (typically igneous or metamorphic) that requires drilling and blasting to excavate, as distinguished from loose gravel, clay, or softer sedimentary rock.
"The tunnel boring machine slowed considerably once the crew encountered a dense layer of hardrock."
North American A tough, rugged, or uncompromising person, originally a miner who works in solid rock.
"Those early prospectors were resilient hardrocks who endured harsh winters in remote mountain camps."
Word Nuance & Usage
The closed compound "hardrock" is primarily used in geology and mining (as in "hardrock mining"), whereas the musical genre is almost universally written as the two-word open compound "hard rock."
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.