hard sell

noun

: aggressive high-pressure salesmanship compare soft sell

Examples of hard sell in a Sentence

Such an expensive project will be a hard sell during these slow economic times.

Recent Examples on the Web

Peptide therapy has mostly meant injections, which is a hard sell for anyone squeamish about needles or juggling a busy routine. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

And a hard sell, too, which ties into the bigger issue — money. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2026

But when compared to spending on something like schools, increasing the subsidy to corporations like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and Disney — to the tune of tens of millions of dollars a year — can be an understandably hard sell to voters. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026

That’s a hard sell in a market that judges most leaders on quarterly results. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hard sell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel