Definition

1. Noun:
   • A word that is hard to pronounce: A long, complex, or awkward word that is difficult to say correctly.
   • A large round hard candy: A type of large, spherical, hard candy that is typically sucked on until it dissolves or can be bitten.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Difficult word):

  • "Antidisestablishmentarianism" is a real jawbreaker.
  • The scientific term was a jawbreaker that the students struggled to say.

• Noun (Hard candy):

  • He bought a jawbreaker from the candy store that was as big as a golf ball.
  • It took her all afternoon to finish the giant jawbreaker.

Advanced Usage

• As a metaphor for difficulty: The term can be used metaphorically to describe any complex or challenging concept, not just a word.
  • The new tax code is a real jawbreaker to understand.

Variants and Related Words

• Jaw-breaking (adj): Used to describe something, typically a word, that is difficult to pronounce.
  • He stumbled over the jaw-breaking technical jargon.

Synonyms

• Tongue-twister: A sequence of words difficult to pronounce quickly and correctly (specifically for the "difficult word" sense).
• Gobstopper: A trademarked name for a type of large, hard, spherical candy, often used informally as a synonym for a jawbreaker candy.

Idioms and Phrases

• No direct idioms use the word "jawbreaker" itself. The word is typically used literally in the senses defined above.

Noun

1. a word that is hard to pronounce
2. a large round hard candy