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
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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
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Recent Examples of hard-boiled
It can be poached, scrambled, scotched, roasted, hard-boiled, devilled, pickled, and soft-boiled, all by itself.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-boiled
Adjective
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Canadian quartet Truck Violence have been sloshing together these subgenres in a ruthless manner for several years now, and their sophomore album and debut for the Flenser aims for even higher drops between those peaks and valleys.
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There was relative peace for 11 years, until a second civil war erupted in 1983, when leaders in Khartoum imposed sharia (Islamic) law and accelerated repression of the southern Christian rebels, which ultimately allowed a ruthless military officer, Omar al-Bashir, to come to power in 1989.
Adjective
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Major dating apps are racing to bake in AI and selling pricey subscriptions that promise smarter matches and faster connections.
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August 23 – September 22 Clear aims shape smarter steps at work.
Adjective
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The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.
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Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.
Adjective
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In Beijing, the president scrapped hardheaded diplomacy in favor of an imagined personal bond.
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At the George offices, Berman loses it once and for all at John’s lateness, his indifference to the daily operations of the magazine, and his hardheaded refusal to consider the TV show.
Adjective
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Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
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Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
Adjective
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They were refined and astute thinkers.
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These situations present opportunities for astute investors to acquire fundamentally sound businesses at a discount.
Adjective
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Some veteran groups are pushing for more diversity with housing for students, VA staff and veterans working off campus.
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Manuel Neuer, a veteran keeper, reacted just a touch late as the ball went just out of his reach.
Adjective
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Most savvy shoppers these days are hardly put off by where an item sits in the store, and Chavarria says his menswear is often bought by women.
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Some of the savviest travelers are spending next weekend on the sidelines, enjoying a staycation while everyone else goes somewhere.
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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