play hard to get

Meaning

This expression means to pretend to be uninterested or unavailable in order to make oneself more attractive or desirable to a potential romantic partner. People who do this might take hours to reply to texts or act aloof to increase the other person's interest. It is almost exclusively used in dating and relationship contexts.

Examples

• She didn't reply to his texts for days, just playing hard to get.

  She didn't reply to his texts for days, just playing hard to get.

• I know he likes me, but he's playing hard to get to see how much I care.

  I know he likes me, but he's playing hard to get to see how much I care.

• Don't play hard to get for too long, or he might lose interest and move on.

  Don't play hard to get for too long, or he might lose interest and move on.

• She's not playing hard to get; I think she genuinely isn't interested.

  She's not playing hard to get; I think she genuinely isn't interested.

• He thought she was playing hard to get, but she was actually just very busy.

  He thought she was playing hard to get, but she was actually just very busy.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ She is playing difficult to get.

  ✓ She is playing hard to get.

  This is a fixed idiom. You cannot substitute 'hard' with synonyms like 'difficult', 'tough', or 'challenging'.

• ✗ He played hard to get her.

  ✓ He played hard to get.

  Adding 'her' or 'him' at the end changes the structure incorrectly. 'Hard to get' functions as a single unit meaning 'difficult to obtain or win over'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Stop playing ___ to get and just tell him you want to go out with him!

  💡 Opposite of easy.

  Show answer

  hard

• She's playing hard to ___ because she wants him to chase her.

  💡 Verb meaning to obtain or receive.

  Show answer

  get