hardwood

1 of 2

noun

hard·​wood ˈhärd-ˌwu̇d 

1

: the wood of an angiospermous tree as distinguished from that of a coniferous tree

2

: a tree that yields hardwood

3

: a basketball court

hardwood

2 of 2

adjective

1

: having or made of hardwood

hardwood floors

2

: consisting of mature woody tissue

hardwood cuttings

Examples of hardwood in a Sentence

Noun

They used expensive hardwoods for the flooring.

oaks, maples, and other hardwoods

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The largest faces the street, with three big windows and, like the rest of the house, original hardwood floors. —Angela Serratore, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025

Interiors are often light/warm grey hardwood floors, bright white walls/shiplap, millennial grey accent walls, and black metal accents. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025

Adjective

From there, a second door opens to the living room, with original hardwood floors and a fireplace surround made of Arts & Crafts-style tiles. —Angela Serratore, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

The nice part about this place is that it hasn’t been overly renovated, and what’s there is kind of classic — there’s a working fireplace, crown moldings, and hardwood floors. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1767, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hardwood

• allgood
• basswood
• beechwood
• bellwood
• birchwood
• boxwood
• boyhood
• brushwood
• childhood
• cordwood
• dogwood
• driftwood

Kids Definition

hardwood

1 of 2 noun

hard·​wood ˈhär-ˌdwu̇d 

1

: the wood of a tree (as an oak or maple) producing flowers and having usually broad leaves as compared to the wood of a tree bearing cones and having needlelike leaves compare softwood sense 1

2

: a tree that yields hardwood

hardwood

2 of 2 adjective

1

: having or made of hardwood

2

: consisting of mature woody tissue

a hardwood cutting