as in strict
not allowing for any exceptions or loosening of standards
a hard-line approach to the sentencing of repeat offenders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hard-line
Pope Francis, born in Buenos Aires to an Italian family fleeing fascism in Mussolini’s era, had little regard to Trump’s hard-line immigration views and never shied from criticizing his plans for a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
The Canary Mission, a hard-line pro-Israel group, compiled an exhaustive online dossier cataloging his activism, with screenshots of his social media pages and selective quotes from his speeches on campus and media interviews.
—Anvee Bhutani, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Despite the administration's apparent focus on serious offenders, green card holders, legal permanent residents, and even U.S. citizens are getting caught up in the president's hard-line crackdown.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Doral joins Coral Gables, Hialeah, West Miami, and Miami Springs as the latest Miami-Dade municipality to align with the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
The Canary Mission, a hard-line pro-Israel group, compiled an exhaustive online dossier cataloging his activism, with screenshots of his social media pages and selective quotes from his speeches on campus and media interviews.
—Anvee Bhutani, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Despite the administration's apparent focus on serious offenders, green card holders, legal permanent residents, and even U.S. citizens are getting caught up in the president's hard-line crackdown.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Doral joins Coral Gables, Hialeah, West Miami, and Miami Springs as the latest Miami-Dade municipality to align with the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-line
Adjective
-
For those that don’t know, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Years is a traditional Kentucky bourbon adhering to strict requirements—100 proof, aged at least four years and produced in a single distilling season.—
Mark Littler,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Oral arguments will be heard in the landmark case on Wednesday, pitting claims of religious freedom against efforts to maintain strict separation of church and state.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Every debt-relief product review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of debt-relief products.—
Dana Miranda,
CNBC,
29 Apr. 2025
-
This month, a study found that the people who’d participated in a rigorous diet-and-exercise program in the late nineteen-nineties, as Bryant did, were substantially less likely to develop diabetes decades later.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-line. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share