How to Use hard-nosed in a Sentence

hard-nosed

adjective
  • The hard-nosed winger was too kind to his old team on Tuesday.
    Joe Smith, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Canales is also eager to add more hard-nosed players in the draft.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2025
  • In that time, the winger has won fans at each stop with his backstory and hard-nosed play.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • His talent for the work, and hard-nosed tactics, showed early.
    Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2023
  • Hock is way too stringent and hard-nosed to work with pie-in-the-sky companies.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Finland looks gritty and hard-nosed, as usual.
    Chris Pronger, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
  • And that's just playing hard-nosed, blue-collar, grind-it-out baseball.
    Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023
  • Even their hard-nosed editor might think that’s going a little too far for your job.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025
  • That moral point also happens to be hard-nosed business logic.
    Raj Ananthanpillai, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • He’s made a career of playing hard-nosed heroes, wiseguys, and dirtbags.
    Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Schwartz has a hard-nosed and old-school reputation, but with a twist of attitude.
    Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
  • Originally a walk-on linebacker, Hatch is known more for his hard-nosed style of play.
    Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2023
  • For sheer, hard-nosed craftiness, Myron was right up there with Gomer Pyle.
    William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 9 Apr. 2023
  • Reed spent the summer gushing about this defense bringing back tough, hard-nosed football.
    Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Hard worker gives you his all every shift and his hard-nosed playing style will translate well at the next level.
    Kyle Woodlief, USA TODAY, 28 June 2023
  • Now, a slew of states across the country have joined in a hard-nosed, high-stakes redistricting battle.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Stover is essential to this team’s identity as a leader and hard-nosed on-field presence.
    Nathan Baird, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The tenacious point guard is venerated by Celtics fans for his hard-nosed play and hustle.
    Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023
  • Philadelphians love players who are hard-nosed, hard-working and give their best effort on every play.
    Timothy J. Brown, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Train cars are an arena to verbally spar with hard-nosed reporters who are thoroughly won over by the mouths of these boys.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
  • The website may have high-minded ideals, but their termination agreements are full of hard-nosed legalese.
    Kelsey Piper, Vox, 18 May 2024
  • Despite the losses, Golden State's hard-nosed team has still impressed.
    Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Along the way, the hard-nosed and principled leader was also a minor league manager, scout and bullpen coach.
    Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
  • Clemson coach Brad Brownell, now in his 16th season, leads a hard-nosed, balanced group.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Throughout his tenure, the Knicks often resembled the gritty, hard-nosed teams of the past.
    Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
  • The first-team offense goes against the first-team defense with less elaborate play calls and more hard-nosed competition.
    Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
  • But Israelis should ask themselves how well the hard-nosed, forever-war approach has worked in practice.
    David Ignatius, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
  • Browning is a naturally gifted pass-rusher and a hard-nosed worker but has struggled to stay on the field.
    Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Chicago is known for its hard-nosed politics and take-no-prisoners attitude.
    Glenn Davis, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
  • Everyone who watches Cochran sees a hard-nosed, tough-minded center back who makes an impact at both ends of the field.
    Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-nosed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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