-ard

The combining form -ard is a suffix denoting “someone who engages often in an activity,” and it is frequently pejorative. It is often used in everyday terms.

The form -ard comes from German -hard, meaning “strong; hardy; hard,” which is a cognate of English hard.

What are variants of -ard?

In some rare instances, the form -ard becomes -art, as in braggart. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about -art.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -ard is drunkard, “a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.”

The drunk- part of the word means “intoxicated.” The suffix -ard, as we have seen, is a suffix that means “someone who engages often in an activity,” often in a pejorative sense. Drunkard literally translates to “someone who is often intoxicated.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form -ard in Middle English or Old French?

• coward
• dullard
• mallard
• standard
• wizard

What are some other forms that -ard may be commonly confused with?

• -arch
• -archy
• -ary

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -ard, such as forward or board, is necessarily using the combining form -ard to denote “someone who engages often in an activity.” Learn why forward means “onward” at our entry for the word.

The word dull has a variety of meanings, including “not bright” or “boring.” With this in mind, along with the meaning of -ard, what does dullard literally mean?