hard-wired

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparabletechnical

   Built into a device with permanent electrical connections so that it cannot be changed by the user.

   Grammar: Used mainly before a noun or after the verb 'be': a hard-wired connection, or the connection is hard-wired.

   Patterns

   • hard-wired connection
   • hard-wired into something
   • be hard-wired to do something

   The old printer has a hard-wired cable, so you cannot use it wirelessly.

   These sensors are hard-wired into the control panel and cannot be swapped out.

   A hard-wired alarm keeps working even when the phone line goes down.

2. 2adjectivenot comparablebiologyfigurative

   Present from birth as a natural part of a person's or animal's behavior, not learned.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'into' or by 'to' plus a verb: hard-wired into us, hard-wired to fear snakes.

   Patterns

   • be hard-wired into someone
   • be hard-wired to do something
   • a hard-wired tendency

   Scientists believe the fear of sudden loud noises is hard-wired into humans.

   Many parents think boys are hard-wired to be more aggressive, but the evidence is mixed.

   Birds have a hard-wired urge to migrate at the same time each year.

3. 3adjectivenot comparablefigurative

   Firmly fixed in someone's mind or way of working and very difficult to change.

   Grammar: Common after 'be' or before a noun such as 'habit' or 'belief': the habit is hard-wired.

   Patterns

   • be hard-wired in someone
   • become hard-wired
   • hard-wired habits

   After thirty years in the same job, his daily routine had become hard-wired.

   Old attitudes about money can be hard-wired in a family and pass to the next generation.

   The company's cautious approach is hard-wired into its culture.

Common combinations

hard-wired connection

The lab computers use a hard-wired connection for stability.

hard-wired into something

A sense of fairness seems hard-wired into most people.

hard-wired to do something

Human babies appear hard-wired to copy the faces they see.

become hard-wired

With enough repetition, the movement becomes hard-wired.

hard-wired habits

Breaking hard-wired habits takes months of conscious effort.

Synonyms and how they differ

built-in

Close for devices: a built-in camera is part of the machine, but it need not use permanent wiring.

innate

A more formal word for qualities present from birth; it is used of living things, not of machines.

ingrained

Fits habits and attitudes that are deeply fixed, but it suggests learning over time rather than wiring at birth.

Opposites

Word family

hardwire verb

To connect something with permanent wires, or to make a behavior fixed.

hardware noun

The physical parts of a computer or machine, as opposed to software.

wiring noun

The system of wires inside a building or device.

Commonly confused: hard-wired or hardwired? hard-wired or hard-hearted?

Practice

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

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