battle-tested

bat·tle-test·ed

Definition of battle-tested

1 : shown to be reliable and effective by being used in war A twin-engine medium bomber, the rugged B-25 was battle-tested and easy to fly in bad weather.— Otha C. Spencer, Smithsonian Air & Space, August/September 1986

2 : having experienced and been toughened by battle battle-tested soldiers When the Americans and Saigon finally found an effective counter-insurgency strategy and took control of the countryside from the Viet Cong, Hanoi responded by sending in whole divisions of battle-tested troops.— Evan Thomas and John Barry, Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2009 —often used figurativelyThe Yankees' pen, moreover, is battle-tested. Rivera, and his setup men, lefty Mike Stanton and righties Jeff Nelson and Ramiro Mendoza, have a combined 1.45 ERA over 105 2/3 innings of postseason experience.— Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 20 Sept. 1999