as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
a hard-bitten Apache chief who could endure the scorching heat of the Arizona desert
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Recent Examples of hard-bitten
Her hard-bitten, cynical persona provides a nice juxtaposition to how maudlin so much commentary about motherhood can be.
—
Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
But the sentiments are the razors in the apples: hard-bitten, painful, wise from disappointment, and braced for the next crisis.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
Alaska has devolved into a colony of big oil, and its politics have become so closed, hard-bitten, and strident.
—Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2015
Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
But the sentiments are the razors in the apples: hard-bitten, painful, wise from disappointment, and braced for the next crisis.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
Alaska has devolved into a colony of big oil, and its politics have become so closed, hard-bitten, and strident.
—Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-bitten
Adjective
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
Serving tray for entertaining $25 to $50 This straightforward serving tray is a reliable standard that’s sturdy and comes in seven colors.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
These flowers are quite hardy and will thrive in USDA planting zones 2–11.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2026
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The bush was awash in a golden glow, a searing orange blaze stretching across the horizon where hardy vegetation met the sky.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Catherine Bracy, the CEO of TechEquity, a tech advocacy group that favors stronger AI regulations, speculated that the Anthropic employees were receiving advice to back Becerra because of his frontrunner status.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
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Sinks on the vanity have slanted, green marble angles giving them a trendy look, and the faucet’s water spray is equivalent to a drenching rainfall shower (wide, strong, and incredibly impressive).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Travelers experience Marlborough wine country, Kaikoura wildlife, the Southern Alps, the rugged West Coast, and Queenstown.—
Steve Madgwick,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
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For anyone venturing off-the-grid or out deep in nature, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a top contender as a rugged, adventure-suitable wearable.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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McIlroy bogeyed 18 to finish at one under, squarely in the hunt, considering the tough conditions limited scoring.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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Parker, a former Eagles assistant, has risen quickly through the NFL coaching ranks and now faces a tough task with a roster full of new faces and high expectations.—
Briana Aldridge,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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The companies say the Ruta Block 3 is designed for strategic deep-strike missions against high-value and hardened targets.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
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However, this breadth becomes a liability in hardened enterprise workflows that aren’t open-ended.—
Anshul Gupta,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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Pruning can encourage vigorous growth and larger flowers or control the shrub’s shape and size.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
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The options reflect a vigorous debate about whether the company can live up to the initial enthusiasm.—
Joanna Ossinger,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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But still, 495 pound-feet of torque, that’s stout.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
17 June 2026
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Use a stout wooden stake and place it in the soil near the center of the pot after filling it with soil.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-bitten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-bitten. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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