"tryhard" meaning in English

See tryhard in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/ [General-American], /ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/ [Received-Pronunciation] Forms: tryhards [plural]
Etymology: try + hard Etymology templates: {{compound|en|try|hard}} try + hard Head templates: {{en-noun}} tryhard (plural tryhards)
  1. (informal, derogatory) A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity. Tags: derogatory, informal Categories (topical): People Translations (person of little talent): arrastrado [masculine] (Spanish), esforzado [masculine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-tryhard-en-noun-sLkBojrH Disambiguation of People: 47 53 1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 20 44 36 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 33 39 28 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 37 40 23 Disambiguation of 'person of little talent': 68 32
  2. (video games) A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game. Categories (topical): Video games, People
    Sense id: en-tryhard-en-noun-I9DXsQ9p Disambiguation of People: 47 53 1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 20 44 36 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 33 39 28 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 37 40 23 Topics: video-games
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: wannabe, keener, cheug (alt: cheugy in attributive contexts), try-hard

Verb

IPA: /ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/ [General-American], /ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/ [Received-Pronunciation] Forms: tryhards [present, singular, third-person], tryharding [participle, present], tryharded [participle, past], tryharded [past]
Etymology: try + hard Etymology templates: {{compound|en|try|hard}} try + hard Head templates: {{en-verb}} tryhard (third-person singular simple present tryhards, present participle tryharding, simple past and past participle tryharded)
  1. (intransitive, video games) To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game. Tags: intransitive Categories (topical): Video games Related terms: cheugy
    Sense id: en-tryhard-en-verb-1Yo0Y0SQ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English exocentric compounds Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 20 44 36 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 33 39 28 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 37 40 23 Disambiguation of English exocentric compounds: 27 31 42 Topics: video-games
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: try-hard

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for tryhard meaning in English (7.1kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "try",
        "3": "hard"
      },
      "expansion": "try + hard",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "try + hard",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tryhards",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tryhard (plural tryhards)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "20 44 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 39 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 40 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53 1",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity."
      ],
      "id": "en-tryhard-en-noun-sLkBojrH",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "talent",
          "talent"
        ],
        [
          "imitation",
          "imitation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal, derogatory) A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "person of little talent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "arrastrado"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "68 32",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "person of little talent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "esforzado"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Video games",
          "orig": "en:Video games",
          "parents": [
            "Games",
            "Mass media",
            "Software",
            "Recreation",
            "Culture",
            "Media",
            "Computing",
            "Human activity",
            "Society",
            "Communication",
            "Technology",
            "Human behaviour",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 44 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 39 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 40 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53 1",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game."
      ],
      "id": "en-tryhard-en-noun-I9DXsQ9p",
      "links": [
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(video games) A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "video-games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "wannabe"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "keener"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "alt": "cheugy in attributive contexts",
      "word": "cheug"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "try-hard"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tryhard"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "try",
        "3": "hard"
      },
      "expansion": "try + hard",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "try + hard",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tryhards",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tryharding",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tryharded",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tryharded",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tryhard (third-person singular simple present tryhards, present participle tryharding, simple past and past participle tryharded)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Video games",
          "orig": "en:Video games",
          "parents": [
            "Games",
            "Mass media",
            "Software",
            "Recreation",
            "Culture",
            "Media",
            "Computing",
            "Human activity",
            "Society",
            "Communication",
            "Technology",
            "Human behaviour",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 44 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 39 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 40 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 31 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English exocentric compounds",
          "parents": [
            "Exocentric compounds",
            "Compound terms",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2018 January 16, Ryan Gilliam, “What should you expect your new rank to be?”, in The Rift Herald",
          "text": "Tryhard like you’ve never tryharded before. If you don’t get called a tryhard in game, you’re not tryharding enough. OK, so maybe don’t go overboard but, if you want to take ranked seriously this season, be sure to start off on the right foot.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 August 17, Alan Bernal, “Have tryhards ruined gaming? Viral video divides opinion”, in Dexerto",
          "text": "Some people view tryhards negatively since more casual players can get instantly overwhelmed by people in matchmaking that are hard-pressed to win rather than to just have fun. But that’s where an important distinction is being asked: is tryharding the same as simply trying to win.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 April 1, “Best League of Legends champs to pick in One For All game mode”, in DotEsports",
          "text": "If you’re looking to have fun while tryharding in One For All, you can’t go wrong with Malphite.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game."
      ],
      "id": "en-tryhard-en-verb-1Yo0Y0SQ",
      "links": [
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, video games) To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "cheugy"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "video-games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "try-hard"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tryhard"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English exocentric compounds",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English verbs",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "try",
        "3": "hard"
      },
      "expansion": "try + hard",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "try + hard",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tryhards",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tryhard (plural tryhards)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English derogatory terms",
        "English informal terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "talent",
          "talent"
        ],
        [
          "imitation",
          "imitation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal, derogatory) A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Video games"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(video games) A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "video-games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "wannabe"
    },
    {
      "word": "keener"
    },
    {
      "alt": "cheugy in attributive contexts",
      "word": "cheug"
    },
    {
      "word": "try-hard"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "person of little talent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "arrastrado"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "person of little talent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "esforzado"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tryhard"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English exocentric compounds",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English verbs",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "try",
        "3": "hard"
      },
      "expansion": "try + hard",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "try + hard",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tryhards",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tryharding",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tryharded",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tryharded",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tryhard (third-person singular simple present tryhards, present participle tryharding, simple past and past participle tryharded)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "cheugy"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Video games"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2018 January 16, Ryan Gilliam, “What should you expect your new rank to be?”, in The Rift Herald",
          "text": "Tryhard like you’ve never tryharded before. If you don’t get called a tryhard in game, you’re not tryharding enough. OK, so maybe don’t go overboard but, if you want to take ranked seriously this season, be sure to start off on the right foot.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 August 17, Alan Bernal, “Have tryhards ruined gaming? Viral video divides opinion”, in Dexerto",
          "text": "Some people view tryhards negatively since more casual players can get instantly overwhelmed by people in matchmaking that are hard-pressed to win rather than to just have fun. But that’s where an important distinction is being asked: is tryharding the same as simply trying to win.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 April 1, “Best League of Legends champs to pick in One For All game mode”, in DotEsports",
          "text": "If you’re looking to have fun while tryharding in One For All, you can’t go wrong with Malphite.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, video games) To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "video-games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹaɪˌhɑːd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "try-hard"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tryhard"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 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.