What does "tryhard" mean?

A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity.

What is a synonym for "tryhard"?

Common synonyms include: cheug, hardo, keener, overcooked, self-appointed, self-proclaimed.

Pronounced //ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd//.

//ˈtɹaɪˌhɑɹd// adj, noun, verb, slang

adj, noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level

Noun

1
A person usually of little talent who tries hard to succeed, especially through imitation, usually to gain fame or popularity. derogatory, informal
2
A person who is perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game.
"I'm going to try as hard as I—I'm going to be the sweatiest fucking tryhard in this server. I'm going to kill you."

Verb

1
To put perhaps too much effort into a recreational activity, typically a game. intransitive
"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."

Adjective

1
Done to excess, to an embarrassing degree. derogatory
2
Perceived as putting too much effort into something recreational, such as a game. derogatory
"They are being so tryhard right now."

Slang

1
Someone who overexerts to win or impress. slang, gaming, 2010s-2020s
"People called him a tryhard in ranked."

"People called him a tryhard in ranked."

From try + hard.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.