as in strict
not allowing for any exceptions or loosening of standards
a hard-line approach to the sentencing of repeat offenders
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Recent Examples of hard-line
Even as Trump’s projects a hard-line stance, the White House last week directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels after Trump expressed alarm about the impact aggressive enforcement is having on those industries.
—
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 16 June 2025
The presidential adviser is an architect of a lot of Trump's hard-line culture war policies, including immigration, but also the administration's stance on transgender rights and diversity initiatives.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 14 June 2025
Granted, Trump and his hard-line immigration adviser, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have a long history of lashing out against immigrants.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
In fact, hard-line Israelis cannot envision a solution to the Iranian nuclear problem that doesn’t involve the total dismantlement of its centrifuges and expatriation of its uranium.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 16 June 2025
The presidential adviser is an architect of a lot of Trump's hard-line culture war policies, including immigration, but also the administration's stance on transgender rights and diversity initiatives.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 14 June 2025
Granted, Trump and his hard-line immigration adviser, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have a long history of lashing out against immigrants.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
In fact, hard-line Israelis cannot envision a solution to the Iranian nuclear problem that doesn’t involve the total dismantlement of its centrifuges and expatriation of its uranium.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-line
Adjective
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At JPMorgan, an internal culture study found that fewer employees feel like their health and well-being are a corporate priority, likely triggered by the bank’s strict five-day in-office policy.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Strategy games require humanlike ability to think across and beyond multiple steps, deal with unpredictable responses, adapt to changing objectives and still conform to a strict rule set.—
Vinay K. Chaudhri,
Scientific American,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Adopt a zero-trust security model that emphasizes rigorous access rules and constant authentication.—
Rob Lydic,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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The next afternoon, Gomes sat in and watched Ohtani throw a rigorous bullpen session to simulate multiple innings.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-line. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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