The invention belongs to the technical field of negative electrode materials of lithium ion batteries and discloses a lignin-based hard carbon/carbon nanotube composite material and a preparation method and application thereof in the negative electrode materials of the lithium ion batteries. The preparation method includes steps: respectively ultrasonically dispersing lignin and carbon nanotubes into organic solvent aqueous solution, mixing, adding alkali for adjusting pH to alkaline, and ultrasonically uniformly dispersing; adding acid for adjusting pH to 1-4, standing, and separating to obtain a lignin/carbon nanotube compound; adding the compound and an activating agent into water, heating, well stirring, heating and drying to obtain a lignin-based hard carbon/carbon nanotube compositematerial precursor; carbonizing the precursor to obtain the lignin-based hard carbon/carbon nanotube composite material. A surface area range of the lignin-based hard carbon/carbon nanotube compositematerial prepared according to the method is 500-3000m<2> g<-1>, activation time is 0.5-6h, and the lignin-based hard carbon/carbon nanotube composite material can be applied to the negative electrodematerials of the lithium ion batteries.