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

For air taxis to take off, the public needs to get on board—and soaring into the sky in experimental tech will be a hard sell for many. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

Compared with protein, which lends itself to narratives of growth—more grams, more gains—fibre is a bit of a hard sell, likelier to be espoused by women in sensible shoes than by fitness junkies on Twitch. — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

And for many anthropologists, earlier hominins with those capabilities—once considered uniquely human—are a hard sell. — ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026

And drug literature can be a hard sell for some, especially if the reader feels anxious about their own coolness, and develops a sort of you-won’t-impress-me-so-there carapace in advance as a form of self-protection. — Literary Hub, 25 June 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