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
He was elected to the Knesset in 2015, representing a hard-line faction in an alliance of small religious nationalist parties.
—
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
But some hard-line conservatives are holding out hope for further reductions.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Eisenhower didn’t dismantle the New Deal bureaucracy or take hard-line measures against the Soviets.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Norman says there was no specific deal struck between Trump, the speaker and the hard-line holdouts -- even after a high-stakes, last-ditch meeting at the White House Wednesday.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
But some hard-line conservatives are holding out hope for further reductions.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Eisenhower didn’t dismantle the New Deal bureaucracy or take hard-line measures against the Soviets.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Norman says there was no specific deal struck between Trump, the speaker and the hard-line holdouts -- even after a high-stakes, last-ditch meeting at the White House Wednesday.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-line
Adjective
-
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 21 Jun. 2025.
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