1
as in certain
having been established and usually not subject to change
hard-and-fast rules that governed the corporate environment in those days included strictures regarding office dress that were rigidly enforced
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unchangeable
not capable of changing or being changed
hard-and-fast beliefs that are the rock-solid foundation of their religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hard-and-fast
One is the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century, when tariffs, crony capitalism, and hard-and-fast racial hierarchies were the stuff of American politics.
—
Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
But the requirement is not hard-and-fast.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2025
While there are no hard-and-fast rules for makeup, referencing the color wheel is always a good place to start (and perhaps a nostalgic reminder of grade school art class).
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025
Instead of having a hard-and-fast 60-second rule, experts said to focus on a few key factors.
—Cathy Cassata, Health, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast
Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
But the requirement is not hard-and-fast.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2025
While there are no hard-and-fast rules for makeup, referencing the color wheel is always a good place to start (and perhaps a nostalgic reminder of grade school art class).
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025
Instead of having a hard-and-fast 60-second rule, experts said to focus on a few key factors.
—Cathy Cassata, Health, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-and-fast
Adjective
-
Its level of finesse invites certain comparisons to Tatiana, the glittering Lincoln Center restaurant run by Kwame Onwuachi, another chef asserting the haute-cuisine artistry of food born of Black cultures.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
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Trump is also pushing the school to dismantle certain student organizations, such as the Palestinian Solidarity Committee — not to be confused with the Poodle Shaving Club, which was founded with the sole mission of promoting Jewish life on campus.—
Charlotte Y. Levy,
Rolling Stone,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
Do Regular Reviews Set consistent operational reviews with unchangeable timing.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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The changes came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government would only recognize two unchangeable sexes, male and female.—
Kaitlyn Schwanemann,
NBC news,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Deployments to the region are a demonstration of Australia's resolve to support an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
-
This channels air from the front to underneath, then over the hood and windscreen to keep it stable.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Typically, scientists think of cratons as unchanging, nigh on eternal.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2025
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There’s a strong element of passion in it, whereas my dad’s need to save money was a slow-burning, unchanging aspect of his relation to the world.—
Geoff Dyer,
Harpers Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Afterwards, final voting commences on August 18 and ends the night of August 27.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
5 May 2025
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Harrison Ford spent his May the 4th celebrating not Star Wars but Yellowstone prequel series 1923, which recently released it second and possible final season.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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In other words, to make its conventional arsenal survivable, the United States must replace its current stock of fixed and visible assets with elusive forces in multiple domains, following the nuclear triad model.—
ANDREW S. LIM,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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Because the actual date of the spring equinox can differ by a day or two, the Catholic Church created a fixed date of March 21 to define it, known as the ecclesiastical equinox.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Hard-and-fast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-and-fast. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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