hard-edged

adjective

Definition of hard-edgednext
as in unsentimental

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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-edged The Good, the Bad and the Painterly As Bouancheau fashioned a Puss that was more lyrical, like a character that stepped out of a fairy tale book and less hard-edged, all the other characters followed suit. — Karen Idelson, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-edged
  1. unsentimental
  2. tough-minded
  3. unromantic
  4. bottom-line
  5. cynical
  6. grounded
  7. logical
  8. rational
Adjective
  • This autobiography of Graves’ youth remains one of the greatest accounts of the war; unsentimental, often comic, but unflinching in its portrayal of battle and of postwar trauma.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Yet Gabriele is notably unsentimental about the prestige attached to any particular stockist.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of unsentimental
Adjective
  • Everyone who watches Cochran sees a hard-nosed, tough-minded center back who makes an impact at both ends of the field.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • Those are two tough-minded veterans.
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of tough-minded
Adjective
  • Gorgeous cinematography and a very unromantic portrayal of the grueling life of a secret agent make this a solid watch.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
  • This idea was supposed to be the kind of thing that could convince even the most unromantic skeptics that space exploration was not only spiritually fulfilling, but economically advantageous.
    — Elena Saavedra Buckley, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of unromantic
Adjective
  • Despite those strong results, AMD plunged 8% in premarket trading — a sign that investors were left unimpressed by the slight top and bottom-line beat.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Without data, your marketing partner is measuring in a vacuum and only providing you with metrics of their marketing efforts, rather than measuring those efforts against bottom-line results.
    — Samantha Scott, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of bottom-line
Adjective
  • The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has had a rough year, and in a cynical way, that makes for great TV.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • And feeling more grounded and realistic is something audiences seem to be responding to largely (from lo-fi hits like Obsession and Backrooms, to epics heavily leaning on practical storytelling like Project Hail Mary and The Odyssey).
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026
  • However, confidence can quickly turn into arrogance, so remember to stay grounded.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of grounded
Adjective
  • The classical compute needed to interpret the error data—called the syndrome—of a logical qubit is substantial.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Then Saturday, a deluge of rain in the afternoon forced Mayor James Dodge to make the logical but still tough, call to cancel the second day of 23rd running of the Taste of Orland Park.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of logical
Adjective
  • Her mental health afterward Two forensic psychiatrists testified Monday that Clancy appeared clear-headed and rational in the days after the killings.
    — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Employers must move beyond resilience training, creating transparent, equitable workplaces where effort is rewarded and mistakes are tolerated, ensuring ambition remains a rational choice for diverse talent.
    — Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of rational

Browse Nearby Words

hard-driving
hard-edged
harden
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hard-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-edged. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All