"learn the hard way" meaning in English

See learn the hard way in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: learns the hard way [present, singular, third-person], learning the hard way [participle, present], learned the hard way [participle, past], learned the hard way [past], learnt the hard way [participle, past], learnt the hard way [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*|past2=learnt the hard way}} learn the hard way (third-person singular simple present learns the hard way, present participle learning the hard way, simple past and past participle learned the hard way or learnt the hard way)
  1. To learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes. Synonyms: learn from experience Related terms: live and learn Translations (learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes): 艱難地學到某事 (Chinese Mandarin), 艰难地学到某事 (jiānnán de xuédào mǒushì) (Chinese Mandarin), 通過艱難困苦而學到 (Chinese Mandarin), 通过艰难困苦而学到 (tōngguò jiānnánkùnkǔ ér xuédào) (Chinese Mandarin), oppia kantapään kautta (Finnish), à la dure (French), auf die harte Tour lernen (German), saját kárán tanul (Hungarian), but see człowiek uczy się na błędach (Polish), узна́ть на горьком опыте (uznátʹ na gorʹkom opyte) (Russian), научи́ться на горьком опыте (naučítʹsja na gorʹkom opyte) (Russian), rút kinh nghiệm (Vietnamese)
    Sense id: en-learn_the_hard_way-en-verb--6V0pj4g Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for learn the hard way meaning in English (3.5kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "learns the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learning the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learned the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learned the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learnt the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learnt the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "past2": "learnt the hard way"
      },
      "expansion": "learn the hard way (third-person singular simple present learns the hard way, present participle learning the hard way, simple past and past participle learned the hard way or learnt the hard way)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Anyone who tries to cycle will learn the hard way that grazes are painful."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes."
      ],
      "id": "en-learn_the_hard_way-en-verb--6V0pj4g",
      "links": [
        [
          "learn",
          "learn"
        ],
        [
          "experiencing",
          "experience"
        ],
        [
          "consequence",
          "consequence"
        ],
        [
          "making",
          "make"
        ],
        [
          "mistake",
          "mistake"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "live and learn"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "learn from experience"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "艱難地學到某事"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jiānnán de xuédào mǒushì",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "艰难地学到某事"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "通過艱難困苦而學到"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "tōngguò jiānnánkùnkǔ ér xuédào",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "通过艰难困苦而学到"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "oppia kantapään kautta"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "à la dure"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "auf die harte Tour lernen"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "saját kárán tanul"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "note": "no equivalent term in Polish",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "but see człowiek uczy się na błędach"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "uznátʹ na gorʹkom opyte",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "узна́ть на горьком опыте"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "naučítʹsja na gorʹkom opyte",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "научи́ться на горьком опыте"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
          "word": "rút kinh nghiệm"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "learn the hard way"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "learns the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learning the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learned the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learned the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learnt the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "learnt the hard way",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "past2": "learnt the hard way"
      },
      "expansion": "learn the hard way (third-person singular simple present learns the hard way, present participle learning the hard way, simple past and past participle learned the hard way or learnt the hard way)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "live and learn"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Anyone who tries to cycle will learn the hard way that grazes are painful."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "learn",
          "learn"
        ],
        [
          "experiencing",
          "experience"
        ],
        [
          "consequence",
          "consequence"
        ],
        [
          "making",
          "make"
        ],
        [
          "mistake",
          "mistake"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "learn from experience"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "艱難地學到某事"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jiānnán de xuédào mǒushì",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "艰难地学到某事"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "通過艱難困苦而學到"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "tōngguò jiānnánkùnkǔ ér xuédào",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "通过艰难困苦而学到"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "oppia kantapään kautta"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "à la dure"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "auf die harte Tour lernen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "saját kárán tanul"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "note": "no equivalent term in Polish",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "but see człowiek uczy się na błędach"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "uznátʹ na gorʹkom opyte",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "узна́ть на горьком опыте"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "naučítʹsja na gorʹkom opyte",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "научи́ться на горьком опыте"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "learn by experiencing the consequences of making mistakes",
      "word": "rút kinh nghiệm"
    }
  ],
  "word": "learn the hard way"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.