A.hard, opp. μαλακός in all senses:
I. hard to the touch, “ξύλον ς. ἢ μαλακόν” Thgn.1194; ἐλαία Pi.l.c.; “γῆ” A.Pers.319, cf. X.Oec.16.11; “κοίτη” Pl.Lg.942d, etc.
2. of sound, harsh, “σκληρὸν ἐβρόντησε” Hes.Th.839; “βρονταί” Hdt.8.12; “ἡ φωνὴ σκληροτέρα” Arist.Aud.801b38, al.
3. of taste and smell, harsh, bitter, ς. ὕδατα (springing from a rocky soil) Hp.Aër.1; so “σκληρότατος ἀὴρ καὶ τόπος” Plb.4.21.5; of wine, dry, Ar.Fr.579, Dsc. Alex.Praef.; “ὀσμαί” Thphr.CP6.14.12 (Comp.): metaph., “ς. φράσις” D.H.Pomp.2.
4. stiff, unyielding, opp. ὑγρός (lithe and supple), “τιτθία ς. καὶ κυδώνια” Ar.Ach.1199; “σκληρότεροι μαστοί” Arist.PA688a27; “σκέλη” X.Eq.1.6; τί τὸ ὑγρὸν τοῦ χαλινοῦ καὶ τί τὸ ς. ib.10.10; of the hair (cf. σκληρόθριξ), Arist.HA517b11 (Comp.), al.; ς. δέρμα, σάρξ, Id.PA665a2, Phgn.806b22, etc.; of persons, Pl.Tht.162b, Smp.196a, Plu.Ages.13, Luc.Salt.21; of dogs, X.Cyn.3.2; τράχηλος ib.5.30; οἱ τὸ σῶμα ς. Arist.Pr.873a34, al.
II. metaph.,
1. of things, hard, austere, “μὴ τὰ μαλακὰ μῶσο, μὴ τὰ ς. ἔχῃς” Epich. l.c.; “τροφή” S.OC1615; “δίαιται” E.Fr.525.5; “βίος” Men.522; τὰ ς. hard words, S.OC1406; “ς. συμφοραί” E.Fr.684.3; “σκληρὰ μαλθακῶς λέγων” S.OC774; τόνος ἀπηνὴς καὶ ς. Plu.Phoc.2; τὸ ς. = σκληρότης, ἡ δίαιτα . . ὑπερβάλλει ἐπὶ τὸ ς. Arist.Pol.1270b33.
2. of persons, harsh, austere, cruel, stubborn, S.Fr.24.7, Pl.Tht.155e, Ti.Locr. l.c.; ς. ἀοιδός, of the Sphinx, S.OT36; “ς. γὰρ αἰεί” E.Alc.500; “ὦ ς. δαῖμον” Ar.Nu. 1264; “τοὺς τρόπους σκληρός” Id.Pax350; ἄγροικοι καὶ ς. Arist.EN1128a9; “ς. ψυχή” S.Aj.1361, Tr.1260(anap.); “ς. ἄγαν φρονήματα” Id.Ant.473; “ἦθος” Pl.Smp.195e; ς. θράσος stubborn courage, E.Andr.261.
2. hardly, with difficulty, E.Fr.282.9.