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
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The immolation of the Bronx was all the more staggering because, a generation before, it had been filled with upwardly mobile residents in sturdy homes.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
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For five rounds, Chimaev rag-dolled a massive and sturdy champion in Dricus Du Plessis en route to a decisive victory (50-44 x3).—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some elephant ears are winter hardy, but some of the fancy varieties need to be lifted and stored for the winter.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Aug. 2025
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It’s made from a blend of hardy grapes—itasca, frontenac, and la crescent—bred for cold climates by the University of Minnesota and still relatively unknown.—
Emma John,
AFAR Media,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This results in a charge imbalance that builds up an electric field strong enough to trigger flashes of lightning.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
13 Jan. 2023
-
According to research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, strong gun control laws are correlated with fewer gun deaths.—
Elliot Hughes,
Journal Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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The 2025 Subaru Outback is an adventure-ready SUV Subaru's SUV models like the Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback are known for their rugged exteriors and off-roading potential.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
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Fleece merges a rugged sophistication with everyday staples.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Even if increasing competition and financial obstruction have influenced summer recruitment, making this season’s challenges tougher, the confidence in Unai Emery and Villa’s football department remains unerring.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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Sanctions have roiled Russia's economy and Trump could use tougher measures as leverage over Putin, said Richard Portes, professor of economics at London Business School.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Not surprisingly, the live take from the Aug. 2 gig features vigorous chorus help from the stadium crowd, a staple of the enthusiastic response from diehards during the band’s first run of UK dates on their Live ’25 tour.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
14 Aug. 2025
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The voters are entitled to a fair election and a vigorous debate on the issues and the ongoing effort by both political parties, now reaching a fever pitch, to make more and more of those elections non-competitive is excluding that debate and detrimental to problem-solving and to our country.—
Kevin Igoe,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Zilpha still thought of Jaron as a man of Cornish hedges, although his work was with Charles Upchurch Sway Partners (CUSP), a hedge fund operated from a central trunk in Lausanne and its stout branch in New York.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
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The Pride came out with more intensity in the second half, searching for a way to break through Utah’s stout defense.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-bitten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-bitten. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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