Standard Lemma guide

hardcover

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɑːdˌkʌvə/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈhɑɹdˌkʌvɚ/
  • Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈhɐːdˌkɐvə/
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AA1 R D K AH2 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a rigid binding.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A book with a rigid binding, often of cardboard or leather.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

having a hard back or cover

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • hardback books

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hardbacked, hardback, hardbound

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a book with cardboard or cloth or leather covers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hardback

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: book, volume

History

Etymology

From hard + cover.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: с твърди корици (s tvǎrdi korici) — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Bulgarian: с дебели корици (s debeli korici) — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Chinese Mandarin: 精裝 /精装 (jīngzhuāng) — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Chinese Mandarin: 硬皮 (yìngpí) — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Esperanto: rigidkovrila — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Finnish: kovakantinen — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • French: relié — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Galician: de pasta dura — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • German: gebunden — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Greek: σκληρόδετος (skliródetos) — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Hungarian: kemény kötésű/fedelű/táblás — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Romanian: cartonat — of a book: having a rigid binding
  • Afrikaans: hardeband — a book with a rigid binding
  • Bulgarian: книга с твърди корици (kniga s tvǎrdi korici) — a book with a rigid binding
  • Bulgarian: книга с дебели корици (kniga s debeli korici) — a book with a rigid binding
  • French: livre relié — a book with a rigid binding
  • Galician: pasta dura — a book with a rigid binding
  • German: gebundenes Buch — a book with a rigid binding
  • German: gebundene Ausgabe — a book with a rigid binding
  • Greek: σκληρόδετο βιβλίο (skliródeto vivlío) — a book with a rigid binding
  • Hungarian: kemény kötésű/fedelű/táblás könyv — a book with a rigid binding
  • Italian: copertina rigida — a book with a rigid binding
  • Italian: libro con copertina rigida — a book with a rigid binding
  • Portuguese: capa dura — a book with a rigid binding
  • Scottish Gaelic: còmhdach cruaidh — a book with a rigid binding
  • Spanish: tapa dura — a book with a rigid binding
  • Spanish: cartoné — a book with a rigid binding
Real reading context

hardcover in complete knowledge articles