hard body

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableinformal

   A very fit, muscular and lean body with little fat, or a person who has one.

   Grammar: Can refer to a body or to a person: he has a hard body.

   Patterns

   • have a hard body
   • build a hard body

   He trained for two years to build a hard body.

   The magazine promised a hard body in twelve weeks, which sounded unrealistic.

   She has a hard body from years of swimming.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A physical object, such as a vehicle, that has a rigid outer shell, as opposed to a soft or flexible one.

   Grammar: Technical use; usually written hard-body or as a modifier: a hard-body vehicle.

   Patterns

   • a hard body vehicle
   • hard body case

   The hard body of the case protected the camera during travel.

   The pickup was sold as a hard body truck with a steel frame.

Word forms

Common combinations

build a hard body

Lifting weights helped him build a hard body.

have a hard body

The actor was cast because he had a hard body.

a hard body workout

The gym sells a hard body workout plan.

a hard body physique

She aimed for a hard body physique before the competition.

sculpt a hard body

It takes diet and training to sculpt a hard body.

Synonyms and how they differ

six-pack

A six-pack refers specifically to visible stomach muscles, while a hard body describes overall fitness.

toned body

Toned body is a gentler, more neutral expression and suggests less extreme muscle than hard body.

ripped

Ripped is slang for very muscular with little fat, and is usually an adjective rather than a noun.

Opposites

Word family

hard adjective

Firm and not easy to bend.

hardbody noun

An alternate spelling as one word.

body noun

The physical structure of a person or animal.

Commonly confused: hard body or hardbodied?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hard body”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words