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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Hunted by the ruthless crime boss that Don worked for and learned all the boss’s sinister secrets — Perlman plays him — Don has a reason to seek redemption.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Witness Alex Hales’ ruthless removal.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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See our review The 2026 Hyundai Palisade is bigger and smarter, just don’t expect more power The six-figure 2025 Lexus LX Hybrid takes full-size luxury to new heights.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Portable smart tire pressure monitors screw onto the valve stem and connect to your phone, offering real-time updates and alerts for slow leaks.—
Melanie Marshall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In 1918, Bolshevik secret police forced Anastasia Romanov and her imperial family into a damp basement to face a merciless firing squad.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
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The lengthy, merciless caption is basically the rock equivalent of Miranda Priestly’s cerulean sweater takedown.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
22 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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Whereas the former revealed the many ways in which the responsibility for keeping families and communities together falls on women (an observation that informs the new series as well), Ingelsby’s latest makes an astute study of guilt, revenge, and forgiveness.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
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Dan had done the right thing, but not the strategic or politically astute thing.—
Carol Geffner,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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O’Connell and company could have had veteran center Ryan Kelly hold McCarthy’s hand against defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ defense this spring.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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In the summer of 2015, when veteran auto executive John Krafcik was recruited to turn Google’s Self-Driving Car Project into a new business unit for Alphabet, cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page gave him an aspirational target.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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Our new identity was built for the digital-first, culture-savvy, information-hungry generation.—
Tanya Benedicto Klich,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The deadline day signing of Kolo Muani was a shrewd move to give him another option.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Craig has played shrewd detective Blanc in 2019’s Knives Out and 2022’s Glass Onion.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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