Meaning & use
a hard worker
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
a person who puts a lot of effort and energy into their work and keeps going until it is done
Grammar: Countable phrase: use 'a' for one person and 'hard workers' for more than one.
Patterns
- be a hard worker
- a hard worker on something
She's a hard worker who never leaves a task half-finished.
The coach praised him as a hard worker who improved every week.
We need hard workers on this team, not people who watch the clock.
Word forms
| plural | hard workers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a real hard worker
- He's a real hard worker — he stayed late three nights this week.
- known as a hard worker
- She is known as a hard worker throughout the department.
- hard worker and quick learner
- His reference letter called him a hard worker and quick learner.
- reward hard workers
- Good managers reward hard workers with better projects.
Synonyms and how they differ
- diligent
- This adjective describes careful, steady effort; 'a hard worker' focuses more on energy and persistence than on carefulness.
- industrious
- A slightly formal adjective meaning always busy and productive; 'hard worker' is the everyday noun phrase.
- grafter
- British informal for someone who works very hard; 'hard worker' is neutral and works in any register.
Opposites
Word family
- hardworking adjective
- Describing someone who works with effort: 'a hardworking student'.
- hard work noun
- The effort itself, not the person: 'Success takes hard work.'
Commonly confused: a hard worker or workaholic?
a hard worker vs workaholic
A workaholic cannot stop working and often neglects other parts of life; a hard worker simply works with effort and can still have balance.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A hard worker' is a countable singular phrase, so it needs 'a'. Option A misses the article, C uses a plural form with 'a', and D wrongly uses 'the ... of' for a general description.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a hard worker”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.