hard counter
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A character, item, or playstyle able to utterly defeat or nullify another.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
"Bastion is currently in a pretty bad spot," Rarithlynx wrote earlier this month. "He has the most counters out of all heroes in the game, including quite a bit of hard counters. He's big and immobile, and has no defensive or escape abilities, and requires the team to babysit him all the time."
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “hard counter” mean?
A character, item, or playstyle able to utterly defeat or nullify another.
Is “hard counter” formal or informal?
hard counter is generally slang.