1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
a hard-boiled Puritan schoolmaster who was as unyielding as New England granite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment
made the hard-boiled business decision to downsize the company, thereby costing thousands of longtime employees their jobs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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-boiled
Boiled Placing eggs in boiling water with the shells on is another healthy cooking method that can be used until the yolk is runny (soft-boiled) or fully cooked (hard-boiled).
—
Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2026
The lenses of deep-sea fish are also especially susceptible to clouding, in the same way that egg whites go from clear to opaque when hard-boiled.
—Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Sep. 2025
In a smaller pot of water over high heat, boil eggs, covered, until just hard-boiled, 7 minutes, then run under cold water.
—Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2023
This is outback noir — oblique, secretive and as hard-boiled as the ground is hard-baked — and Sen wears it well.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023
As Detective Munch, Mr. Belzer was brainy but hard-boiled, cynical but sensitive.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2023
Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2026
The lenses of deep-sea fish are also especially susceptible to clouding, in the same way that egg whites go from clear to opaque when hard-boiled.
—Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Sep. 2025
In a smaller pot of water over high heat, boil eggs, covered, until just hard-boiled, 7 minutes, then run under cold water.
—Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2023
This is outback noir — oblique, secretive and as hard-boiled as the ground is hard-baked — and Sen wears it well.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023
As Detective Munch, Mr. Belzer was brainy but hard-boiled, cynical but sensitive.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-boiled
Adjective
-
The helmet’s symbolism directs the world to the atrocities being committed upon an innocent, sovereign nation undergoing ruthless destruction.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
During this ruthless era, famous women were sorted into a stringent binary.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And my initial job and focus was working for the chief digital officer at the time who was a really smart guy.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The long-standing challenge of smart fibers For years, researchers have tried to make smart fibers—materials that change shape when exposed to electricity, light, heat, or changes in acidity.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the blood-thirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The second interpretation purports to be more hardheaded and sensible, wiser and world-weary after so many years of watching Trump at work.—
Ross Douthat,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
While the tech sector may have (initially) had more utopian impulses than the hardheaded geopolitical realism of the state, both could see their mutual projects achieved through the same means.—
Nick Srnicek,
Wired News,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Across this stony landscape, light sometimes falls.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Forgotten animal pens, decaying cages and stony backdrops now sit in various states of abandonment.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In a ruse that, for lack of a more astute reference point here, feels very Don Draper-coded, Rose poses as the dear male soldier who died next to her in battle, figuring why waste the deeds to perfectly decent land, or his name.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
-
All this is strange and disappointing, because Holmes is a gifted biographer, not to mention a fluent translator of science and an astute reader of poetry.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Donlon’s lawsuit was just one of several complaints brought by veteran police officials who alleged a culture of rampant corruption and cronyism within the agency during Adams' time as mayor.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Fifty-six games into Brown’s tenure as head coach, the Knicks still don’t look connected on offense, no more glaring example apparent than Karl-Anthony Towns’ lack of involvement against a team without any veteran player 6-foot-9 or taller.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations.—
Maryal Miller Carter,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
If a resident is not tech-savvy, Miller said, have an adult son or daughter monitor the technology.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
