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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hard-boiled
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
For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 1 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
Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2023
For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 1 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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The film takes place in the sweltering heat of a Texas summer in 1974, watching as ruthless prisoner Federico Carrasco takes control of the Huntsville Penitentiary.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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And, if hate doesn't come from inside the show itself, Black women are forced to endure online hate from ruthless fans.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Welcome to the age of conversational mobility, where natural dialogue with your car is becoming as routine as checking the weather on a smart speaker.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 Aug. 2025
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Use of cellphones, smart watches and accessories is prohibited in the performance space.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Hollywood loves a polarizing star with a merciless marketing punch that sells.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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There’s little doubt Curtis Windom perpetrated an unjustifiable evil, killing three people, including his girlfriend and her mother, shooting them in merciless fashion on Feb. 7, 1992 in Winter Garden.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2025
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British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded.—
Sam Knight,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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An astute judge of talent, Reid also suggested John Bonham fill the drum chair in Led Zeppelin.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
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Andy, in his most astute moment of the episode, points out that Jax does have control.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Integrating environmental risks, social dynamics, and governance structures leads to savvier decisions and stronger portfolios.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But Tocqueville’s shrewder observation is that rising legal and economic equality indirectly produces social inequality as the dominant class is forced to confront the prospect of forfeiting its dominance.—
Andrea Long Chu,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
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The Houston Astros might have been the shrewdest deadline buyer.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Republican president has said crime in the city was at emergency levels that only such federal intervention could fix — even as District of Columbia leaders pointed to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low after a sharp rise two years ago.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
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The decline, which marked a sharp downturn from the 1.1% monthly uptick in output seen in May, was driven by a slowdown in multiple countries, including Germany, and a fall in consumer goods production.—
Chloe Taylor,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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