Hardier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Showing a higher level of strength or endurance in tough situations
2. Demonstrating increased resilience or stamina when faced with challenges
3. Having the ability to endure harsh or adverse environments better than others

Etymology: "Hardier" is simply the comparative of "hardy," so its story is really the story of "hardy." That word came into Middle English from Old French "hardi," meaning bold, daring or stout. The French form is usually traced to "hardir," "to harden, be bold, make bold," which itself came from a Frankish verb "hardijan," so the earliest sense was closer to making something firm than to describing a person's toughness. The two senses still sit close together. "Hardy" and the English "hard" are cognates, both descending from the same Germanic root, and the adjective's sense of robust endurance grew naturally out of that firmness. Some scholars also suggest the word may have been reanalysed in English as "hard" plus "-y," which would explain why it looks like a simple derivative even though its French roots are older and more tangled.

Synonyms: sturdier, tougher, more resilient

Antonyms: weaker, more fragile