hard work
8 synonyms for hard work, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Sustained effort that demands real energy, concentration or persistence.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
Sustained effort that demands real energy, concentration or persistence.
“The garden took two years of hard work.”
2. noun informal
Something or someone that is tiring and difficult to deal with.
“That meeting was hard work from start to finish.”
heavy going
a struggle
an effort
How to use hard work
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
hard work pays off
years of hard work
put in the hard work
sheer hard work
Neutral; the person sense is informal and British-leaning.
Frequently asked questions
Is hard work countable or uncountable?
Uncountable. You say a lot of hard work or years of hard work, never two hard works. It takes a singular verb: hard work pays off.
What is the difference between hard work and hardship?
Hard work is effort you put in, often willingly and with a goal in mind. Hardship is suffering you undergo, such as poverty or illness, and nobody chooses it.
Can a person be described as hard work?
Yes, informally, and it is not a compliment. Calling someone hard work means they are draining company: demanding, touchy or hard to hold a conversation with.
