tryhard
[ TRY-hard ] /ˈtraɪˌhɑrd/ (stress on try)
noun · also used as adjective ("so tryhard"), verb ("stop tryharding")
A tryhard is a player who takes a casual game far too seriously, or anyone straining to impress. It is usually an insult from the losing side.
tryhard has 3 meanings. Jump to: [Over-serious player] [Adjective and verb] [Straining to impress]
type noun since 1999 seen on gaming, discord, twitch, youtube, tiktok status classic
Can you still say it?
tryhard is a classic: old, stable, and understood by just about everyone. Safe to say, and likely always will be.
What does tryhard mean?
- 1.
Over-serious player: A player seen as putting far too much effort into winning, especially in a casual match. Usually an insult from the losing side, sometimes a grudging compliment for someone skilled.
- 2.
Adjective and verb: As an adjective, play or gear that signals maximum effort: "a tryhard skin." As a verb, to tryhard is to play as seriously as possible: "time to tryhard."
- 3.
Straining to impress: The older sense, outside games: someone making an obvious, effortful attempt to seem cool or talented, and not pulling it off. Often written try-hard.
A tryhard is someone who brought a tournament mindset to a party game. Everyone else is messing around, and one player is running the best loadout, calling out positions and refusing to lose. The lobby's word for that player is tryhard, and it is not a compliment.
It's a subjective insult, and it mostly comes from the losing side. One person's tryhard is another's "just playing properly." That is why the word also works as a badge. "Time to tryhard" means I'm done joking and playing for real, and in some games a tryhard is assumed to be good.
Games have a visual code for it. Certain skins, names and animations read as tryhard gear, and Fortnite's soccer skins became known as the tryhard uniform.
Off the screen, the older meaning holds: someone straining to impress. A caption that is working too hard is tryhard. So is a personality built for an audience.
It is nearly the same word as sweat. Sweat is the newer label and describes the intensity. Tryhard names the person, and the two stack into "sweaty tryhard." A smurf hides their skill on a new account, and a tryhard hides nothing. Cracked praises skill. Tryhard complains about effort.
Where did tryhard come from?
The word is older than online gaming. It was first recorded in 1980–85. The earliest citation we can show is from 1999, when a book on Australian English recorded try-hard as teen slang. It was a general term of abuse for someone trying too hard to be liked or accepted.
Gamers applied the same logic to opponents who try too hard at something meant to be fun. No first gaming use can be sourced. A 2011 forum post about a shooter already uses it, and by 2013 it was being paired with sweaty. In 2020 the argument over whether playing to win makes you a tryhard was described as about a decade old. Game glossaries now treat the two labels as one: tryhard play is also known as playing sweaty.
Its use in Roblox games is a recent extension to a younger audience, not an origin.
More sources: tryhard - Wiktionary · What does tryhard mean exactly? - Gaming Stack Exchange (Wayback Machine)
How to use tryhard in a sentence
bro is using the meta loadout in a casual lobby, what a tryhard
ok no more messing around, i'm tryharding this last round
that caption is so tryhard, just post the photo
In a conversation
why is everyone in this server jumping around like that
tryhards, just hide and hope the sheriff is one of them
Slang related to tryhard
A sweat is gaming slang for a player who tries extremely hard to win. They bring tourna…
Gaming Slang Words smurfA smurf is gaming slang for a strong player on a new account. They hide their skill so…
Gaming Slang Words crackedCracked is gaming slang for extremely skilled: "he's cracked at Fortnite." In battle ro…
Gaming Slang Words skill issueSkill issue is gaming slang for "you lost because you're bad," a reply that rejects eve…
Gaming Slang Words ggGg is gaming slang for "good game," the standard polite sign-off after a match. It now…
Gaming Slang Words clutchClutch is slang for coming through under pressure. A clutch play saves the game at the…
Gaming Slang Words maldingMalding is gaming slang for raging over a loss or a small setback, a blend of "mad" and…
Gaming Slang Words chalantChalant is slang for openly caring and showing effort, the opposite of acting nonchalan…
Gen Z Slang WordsDon't confuse tryhard with
- sweat
- Sweat is the newer label and describes how intensely someone plays. Tryhard is older and names the person and the attitude. They often stack as "sweaty tryhard."
Questions about tryhard
- Is tryhard an insult?
- Usually, yes. It's a mild one, aimed at someone taking a casual game too seriously, and it often comes from the players who lost. Some people wear it proudly.
- What does tryhard mean in Roblox?
- A skilled, effortful player who plays every round to win. In games like Murder Mystery 2, certain outfits, names and movement tricks are seen as tryhard signs.
- What is the difference between a tryhard and a sweat?
- Very little. Sweat is the newer word and describes the intensity of play. Tryhard is older and names the person. People often say "sweaty tryhard."
- What is a tryhard skin?
- A character outfit that players associate with people who play to win. Fortnite's soccer skins are the best-known example and were nicknamed the tryhard uniform.
- Is it tryhard, try-hard or try hard?
- The noun and adjective are written tryhard or try-hard. Two separate words, "try hard," is just the ordinary verb phrase, with no insult in it.
- Where did tryhard come from?
- It existed before gaming, for someone straining to be liked or to seem cool, and it is recorded in Australian teen slang in 1999. Gamers adopted it for opponents who play casual matches like finals.