hard-ass

noun

ˈhärd-ˌas 

informal + impolite

: a tough, demanding, or uncompromising person

hard-assed

ˈhärd-ˌast 

adjective impolite

Examples of hard-ass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The further Rico and Blume stray from their winning formula (hard-ass rapping over hard-ass beats), the less effective these songs feel. — Mehan Jayasuriya, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026

In the Terminator films, Hamilton played heroine Sarah Connor, a damsel in distress who becomes a hard-ass warrior. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025

The meanie store manager (played, with cartoony hard-ass villainy, by Peter Dinklage) refuses to make a donation, so Manchester gathers a bagful of (stolen) toys and brings them over to the church himself. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hard-ass

• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• impasse
• jackass