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
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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
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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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When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
Assayas offers anecdotes, a feuilleton of tyranny in which the foibles of the mighty and the ruthless reveal the sentimental side of cruelty, the amusement value of ugly deeds, and the polite side of monstrous ideas.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is no analogous player in this squad to Grimaldo; Marc Cucurella, the man who has displaced him in the Spain team, is positionally smart but a more effective off-ball runner than on-ball playmaker.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
The clients who will be best positioned are the ones making smart decisions today — not the ones reacting to a tax bill six months from now.—
Greg Raiff,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Ron White, Joe DeRosa, and Tony’s number one favorite comic, Tony Hinchcliffe (played by Adam Ray), showed the crowd exactly what effortless and absolutely merciless veteran comedy looks like.—
Malina Saval,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
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Development in the Dotte 🪠 Fish or human feces often wash up in KCK homes during those merciless spring rains.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
These conditions often yield mezcals with a savory backbone and a dry, stony finish.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In a vast stony tract of desert a three-hour drive south of Cairo, tucked between jagged black mountains and the glittering Gulf of Suez, a group of Chinese engineers is quietly rewiring Egypt’s energy strategy.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This astute portrait connects Jim Crow-era America and pre-World War II Europe, and is as fitting a portrait of the current sociopolitical moment.—
Time,
Time,
12 May 2026
-
So to overturn the deficit and produce a performance, which was one of their best, most tactically and physically astute of the season, felt significant.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas became veteran leaders.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
However, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that the veteran bench boss who took over in Vegas with just eight games left in the regular season was mad about the suspension of defenseman Brayden McNabb.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
But Saints, the savvy former NXT and North American champion, got his opportunity to slow down the match and take it to Hayes.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
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Japanese newcomer Rimu Kuwaki makes his debut as a savvy robot child surrogate in auteur Hirokazu Koreeda‘s Sheep in the Box, premiering in Competition today at the Cannes Film Festival.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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