hårdare

Hårdare is the comparative form of the Swedish adjective hård, meaning hard, tough, or strict. It is used when comparing degrees of hardness, severity, or strictness between two or more things. Examples include hårdare regler (stricter rules), hårdare straff (harsher punishment), and hårdare arbete (more demanding or harder work). The term can describe physical hardness as well as social or moral demands.

The form is created by adding the suffix -are to the stem hård. This is common for many monosyllabic adjectives in Swedish. In some contexts, speakers may also use mer hård (more hard), but hårdare is the standard comparative form in modern Swedish.

Etymology and cognates: hård originates from Old Norse harðr and is cognate with related forms in other North Germanic languages, such as Danish hård and Norwegian hard. The word is tied to a common Germanic root for hardness and toughness, and has evolved in Swedish to its current comparative form hårdare.

Usage notes: hårdare is typically used in formal and colloquial contexts to convey increasing severity, intensity, or difficulty. It often appears in policy, law, sports, and everyday descriptions of conditions or requirements. For example, Den nya policyn innebär hårdare regler än den gamla, or Straffet blev hårdare efter överträdelsen.