hardheaded

adjective

hard·​head·​ed ˈhärd-ˈhe-dəd 

1

: stubborn, willful

2

: concerned with or involving practical considerations : sober, realistic

some hardheaded advice

a hardheaded observer of winds and tides

hardheadedly adverb

hardheadedness noun

Synonyms of hardheaded

• smart
• shrewd
• astute

Examples of hardheaded in a Sentence

He was always hardheaded about getting his way.

We need to take a more hardheaded approach to these problems.

She gave him some hardheaded advice.

Recent Examples on the Web

Andrea Suarez leads a group, We Heart Seattle, that combines care for the homeless with a hardheaded insistence on legal consequences and addiction treatment for drug users. — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

At the George offices, Berman loses it once and for all at John’s lateness, his indifference to the daily operations of the magazine, and his hardheaded refusal to consider the TV show. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026

The second interpretation purports to be more hardheaded and sensible, wiser and world-weary after so many years of watching Trump at work. — Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

While the tech sector may have (initially) had more utopian impulses than the hardheaded geopolitical realism of the state, both could see their mutual projects achieved through the same means. — Nick Srnicek, Wired News, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hardheaded

• bareheaded
• beheaded
• embedded
• homesteaded
• imbedded
• impleaded
• lightheaded
• redheaded
• spearheaded
• unleaded
• bedded
• breaded

Kids Definition

hardheaded

adjective

hard·​head·​ed ˈhärd-ˈhed-əd 

1

: stubborn sense 1

2

: marked by sound judgment

a hardheaded judgment

hardheadedly adverb

hardheadedness noun