hardheaded

adjective

hard·​head·​ed ˈhärd-ˈhe-dəd 

1

: stubborn, willful

2

: concerned with or involving practical considerations : sober, realistic

some hardheaded advice

a hardheaded observer of winds and tides

hardheadedly adverb

hardheadedness noun

Synonyms

• smart
• shrewd
• astute

Examples of hardheaded in a Sentence

He was always hardheaded about getting his way.

We need to take a more hardheaded approach to these problems.

She gave him some hardheaded advice.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025

Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025

British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025

Kayce sells Yellowstone Ranch for $1.25 an acre and Elsa Dutton rises from the dead to declare victory Kayce cryptically suggested the Yellowstone sale at the end of last week's episode, and the hardheaded financial wonder Beth loved the idea. —Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hardheaded

• bareheaded
• beheaded
• embedded
• homesteaded
• imbedded
• impleaded
• lightheaded
• redheaded
• spearheaded
• unleaded
• bedded
• breaded

Kids Definition

hardheaded

adjective

hard·​head·​ed ˈhärd-ˈhed-əd 

1

: stubborn sense 1

2

: marked by sound judgment

a hardheaded judgment

hardheadedly adverb

hardheadedness noun