hard-line

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈlīn 

: advocating or involving a rigidly uncompromising course of action

a hard-line policy

hard-liner

ˈhärd-ˈlī-nər 

noun

Synonyms of hard-line

• strict
• rigorous

Examples of hard-line in a Sentence

a hard-line approach to the sentencing of repeat offenders

Recent Examples on the Web

At a stop in Sanger, a small town in a ruby-red county north of Dallas, the star of the warm-up acts was Brandon Gill, a young House Republican who has emerged as a favorite among the party’s hard-line base. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026

The international communications teams will hard-line into his organization but continue to have a dotted-line relationship into the country GM/MD and be part of their leadership team. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026

If neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line alliance nor an opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot win enough seats to form a government, both would need to find support from outside their blocs for backing as prime minister. — New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Ebrahim Azizi, the hard-line head of Iran’s parliamentary security committee, posted on social media over the weekend a map of Israel. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hard-line

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline