: advocating or involving a rigidly uncompromising course of action
hard-liner noun

Examples of hard-line in a Sentence

a hard-line approach to the sentencing of repeat offenders
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eisenhower didn’t dismantle the New Deal bureaucracy or take hard-line measures against the Soviets. Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 May 2025 Norman says there was no specific deal struck between Trump, the speaker and the hard-line holdouts -- even after a high-stakes, last-ditch meeting at the White House Wednesday. Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 22 May 2025 His case has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration's hard-line immigration enforcement, with the White House arguing his legal status does not afford him a blanket right to be in the country. Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025 The more than 1,000 pages of legislation and 42 pages of amendments are a case study in how to win over both moderates and hard-line conservatives. Christina Wilkie,erin Doherty, CNBC, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard-line

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-line was in 1903

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hard-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-line. Accessed 30 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!