hard to get over

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "hard to get over" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe something that is difficult to move past emotionally, such as a loss or a breakup. Example: "After the breakup, it was hard to get over the memories we shared together."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Lifestyle

Sport

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

It's not that hard to get over,' "Jeffrey recalled.

The New York Times - Magazine

At the Zhao family's Brooklyn home, the loss remains "hard to get over," the victim's brother, Ken, 23, said.

The New York Times

"For some women, it's hard to get over wearing a size 10," says Howard Osterman, a podiatrist with offices in the District and Silver Spring.

The Washington Post

"I found Beijing so hard to get over," she remembers.

BBC

The split with Ivan Lendl was also hard to get over for a little while because he was a huge part of my career.

BBC

It's hard to get over in a written piece just how much the changes to the digitizer have made to the experience.

Forbes

No one was really coming at me. "There's a few positives to take, but obviously it's going to be hard to get over because I had a great chance to win my first tournament of the season and I didn't".

BBC

That hump is really hard to get over," Montgomery-based radio talk show host Dale Jackson told HuffPost.

Huffington Post

"It's hard to get over those jitters.

The New York Times - Sports

It's hard to get over that.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

"This is going to be hard to get over.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the audience and choose synonyms that align with the desired tone. For formal writing, "difficult to overcome" may be more appropriate than "hard to shake off".

Common error

Avoid using "hard to get over" when you simply mean "difficult to understand". The phrase implies emotional or psychological recovery, not intellectual comprehension.

Linguistic Context

Adjectival phrase functioning as a post-modifier. It describes the difficulty associated with recovering or moving past a particular event, experience, or emotion. The phrase commonly modifies nouns related to negative experiences, such as loss, defeat, or setbacks. As confirmed by Ludwig, the phrase follows standard grammatical rules and is usable in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Lifestyle

15%

Sport

10%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Wiki

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "hard to get over" is a common and grammatically correct way to express the difficulty in recovering from an experience or emotion. Ludwig's analysis confirms its widespread use, particularly in News & Media, Lifestyle, and Sport contexts. While generally acceptable, remember to consider your audience and the desired tone, opting for more formal alternatives like "difficult to overcome" in academic or professional settings. Be mindful of its semantic scope, ensuring it accurately reflects emotional or psychological recovery rather than mere intellectual difficulty. By following these guidelines, you can effectively and appropriately use "hard to get over" in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to overcome

Replaces "get over" with a more formal synonym, "overcome".

tough to move on from

Substitutes "hard" with "tough" and uses "move on from" to convey the act of recovering.

challenging to surmount

Employs "challenging" for "hard" and "surmount" for "get over", indicating a more strenuous effort.

difficult to put behind you

Rephrases the idea of getting over something as putting it in the past.

hard to shake off

Uses the idiom "shake off" to mean to recover from something, typically an illness or bad experience.

a struggle to forget

Focuses on the difficulty of forgetting as the primary obstacle.

not easy to recover from

Highlights the recovery process and the lack of ease associated with it.

formidable to transcend

Uses "formidable" to amplify the difficulty and "transcend" as a more elevated term for overcoming.

painful to leave behind

Emphasizes the emotional pain associated with moving on.

a burden to resolve

Presents the situation as a "burden", highlighting the weight and effort required for resolution.

FAQs

How can I use "hard to get over" in a sentence?

You can use "hard to get over" to describe something emotionally challenging to move past. For example, "The loss of her pet was "hard to get over"." or "The team found the defeat "hard to get over"."

What's a good alternative to "hard to get over"?

Alternatives include "difficult to overcome", "tough to move on from", or "challenging to surmount", depending on the context.

Is it always appropriate to use "hard to get over" in formal writing?

While "hard to get over" is generally acceptable, more formal alternatives like "difficult to overcome" or "challenging to surmount" might be more suitable for academic or professional contexts.

What kind of situations typically make something "hard to get over"?

Situations that are "hard to get over" often involve significant emotional distress, such as loss, betrayal, failure, or trauma. The phrase suggests a need for time and effort to heal and recover.