Hardy

Hardy is an English adjective meaning robust and able to endure difficult conditions. It is commonly used to describe people, animals, or objects that are resilient, tough, or capable of withstanding hardship. In everyday use it often implies persistence in the face of adverse circumstances, and in specific fields it denotes tolerance to particular stresses such as cold, drought, or disease.

In horticulture, a plant is described as hardy when it can survive winter temperatures in its climate. Plant hardiness is commonly expressed through hardiness zones, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) zones, which classify regions by minimum winter temperatures to guide cultivation and selection of varieties.

Hardy is also a surname and, less commonly, a given name. Notable people with the surname include Thomas Hardy, the English novelist and poet, and Godfrey Harold Hardy, a prominent English mathematician. The fictional Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe, are brothers in a long-running series of mystery novels.

The term also yields related forms, including hardiness, a broader measure of resilience that applies to plants and climates. The word's usage spans everyday description, scientific terminology, and literature.